WASHINGTON – A couple from North Carolina have been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to their conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Curtis Davis, 45, and Tonya Bishop, 48, of Snow Hill, North Carolina, are each charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, the couple is charged with various misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings; and parading, picketing, and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
Both defendants were arrested on Dec. 8, 2023, in Snow Hill and will make their initial appearances today in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, Davis and Bishop were identified in open-source video footage as present inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. In the video footage, Davis is depicted as wearing a black beanie-style hat with a U.S. flag containing a thin blue line, sunglasses, a gray and tan coat, a blue/gray shirt depicting a skull containing a thin blue line, stars, and stripes, and a gray, long-sleeve shirt. Bishop is depicted wearing light-colored gloves, the same blue sweatshirt with stars and stripes, including a hood with white stars described above, and a black jacket with pink writing on the back.
Surveillance footage taken from inside the Capitol building and reviewed by law enforcement showed Davis and Bishop as they entered the building and joined an escalating conflict between rioters and law enforcement. In the footage, Davis can be seen shoving and punching law enforcement officers who were attempting to disperse rioters. Davis then moved away from the police officers before he re-engaged and again punched law enforcement officers.
In other video footage, Davis is seen aggressively yelling at officers and was physically restrained by Bishop. Video footage then showed Davis as he fought with law enforcement officers. Court documents say that Davis threw punches at multiple police officers and made contact with at least one Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer. In subsequent video footage, Davis stated that he had injured the knuckles on his hand during the confrontation. Bishop is also seen on security footage as she placed her hands on and pushed police officers who were attempting to disperse rioters from the Rotunda.
Additional body-worn camera footage reviewed by law enforcement depicted Davis, Bishop, and other rioters inside the Capitol as they attacked and attempted to seize control of an MPD officer’s baton. In this footage, Davis can be seen shoving and punching an MPD officer and seizing the officer’s police baton.
Court documents say that both Davis and Bishop forcibly resisted, impeded, and interfered with MPD officers who were attempting to remove rioters from the Rotunda. Body-worn camera footage showed Bishop as she resisted and refused an MPD officer’s attempt to move her several times. Bishop told police, “You can’t turn on Americans,” and then proceeded to put both hands on an MPD officer’s baton before another officer pushed her away.
Additional open-source video reviewed by law enforcement depicted both Davis and Bishop at the sealed doors outside the Capitol building. Bishop is identified as she was being interviewed on the steps of the Capitol and standing on top of a law enforcement vehicle, speaking into a megaphone. In the video footage, Bishop encouraged others to remain inside the building and asked other rioters leaving the Capitol, “Why is everybody walking the wrong way?” Bishop further stated that “this is our one chance” and “I’m ready to go back in because this is our f— building.” Davis was also present during this and was identified as he took pictures and filmed Bishop.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 35 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,230 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.