A north Fulton County teenager arrested Friday by the FBI is accused of assaulting a federal officer, civil disorder and several other charges after he was identified at last month’s attack on the United States Capitol, authorities said Monday night.
Bruno Joseph Cua is charged with five counts related to the Jan. 6 incident in which a group of people stormed the Capitol while members of Congress were working to certify November’s presidential election. The charges against the 18-year-old include assault on a federal officer, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, entering a restricted building and violently demonstrating on Capitol grounds.
The Milton teen is one of nearly 200 individuals charged thus far in the Capitol Breach Cases by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office
Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office
An FBI spokesman confirmed that a search warrant was executed at Cua’s home in Milton but said the teen was not arrested there.
The FBI’s criminal complaint against Cua includes posts from social media in which he says he was present at the U.S. Capitol building that day. He posted on his Instagram story, “Yes, for everyone asking I stormed the capital (sic) with hundreds of thousands of patriots.” The text post ended with, “Yes, we physically fought our way in.”
The complaint document, available to the public on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website, also includes a series of still photos taken from video of the insurrection. Each photo identifies Cua with a red circle, showing him on the floor of the Senate chamber and making his way through the halls of the Capitol building.
In one still photo taken from closed-circuit security cameras, Cua is shown “carrying what appears to be a baton in his right hand,” the complaint document said.
In addition to posting from the Capitol on Jan. 6, Cua broadcast his intentions on social media in the days leading up to the violent protest, according to the FBI’s complaint. More than a week prior, he published posts on the social media platform Parler that said, “President Trump is calling us to FIGHT!” He also posted, “This isn’t a joke, this is where and when we make our stand. #January6th, Washington DC.”
Cua has been recognized in the past for voicing his support for President Donald Trump. In The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s political coverage following Election Day, the teen was photographed unfurling a giant “Trump 2020″ flag during a rally in the parking lot of the Georgia Republican Party headquarters in Buckhead.
Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office
Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office
According to a brief in the Milton Herald, Cua was cited for violating that city’s public disturbance ordinance in December after driving around the Birmingham Falls Elementary parking lot and blaring an air horn with a large Trump flag attached to his truck. He reportedly told Milton officers he wasn’t doing doughnuts, but said he “had to pick up some speed” to get his flag to flap in the wind.
The teen’s arrest comes as federal agents continue their efforts to round up those who allegedly took part in the attack that left five people dead, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Rosanne Boyland, a 34-year-old Trump supporter from Kennesaw, was also killed after being crushed when the crowd attempted to push its way past officers and into the Capitol, officials said.
Among those previously charged in connection with the Capitol riot was longtime South Georgia attorney McCall Calhoun, Tennessee resident Eric Munchel, who has North Georgia ties, and his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, who lives in Woodstock. Munchel was accused of carrying plastic restraints through the Capitol, prompting many to refer to him as “zip-tie guy” on social media.
In addition, police said a 53-year-old Alpharetta man took his own life days after Metropolitan Police in Washington arrested him on charges of “unlawful entry of public property” and violating the city’s 6 p.m. curfew.
In connection with the insurrection, Trump became the only U.S. president impeached twice. The latest impeachment charge from the U.S. House accused him of inciting the violence that led to the deadly riot. For weeks, he said President Joe Biden’s election was illegitimate and reiterated that position at a rally in front of the White House before supporters stormed the Capitol.
The former president’s trial in the U.S. Senate begins Tuesday.
— AJC staff writer Chris Joyner contributed to this article.
