PILOT MOUNTAIN, N.C. — The FBI arrested a North Carolina man for entering the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on January 6.

Federal agents arrested Christopher Raphael Spencer, of Pilot Mountain, Tuesday evening, according to the FBI.

Spencer is the first person from North Carolina arrested on federal charges related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Almost 100 people have been arrested on federal charges in connection with the riot that left five people dead, including a police officer.

What You Need To Know

  • Christopher Spencer was arrested in connection with taking part in the riots in Washington, D.C. on Jan.6

  • Spencer is from Pilot Mountain and was arrested in Kernersville Tuesday, the FBI said

  • The FBI received multiple videos Spencer posted live to Facebook from inside the Capitol during the riots, investigators said

According to the FBI, Spencer was one of the people who entered the Capitol Crypt. He broadcast videos of entering the Capitol on Facebook.

“Bro, they stormed the Capitol, bro...pushed the cops out of the way, everything...took it over,” Spencer said in a Facebook video, according to investigators.

“Who would’ve knew the first time I ever come would be to storm,” Spencer said in a Facebook video from the Statuary Hall before joining the crowd trying to break through the doors to the House of Representatives, the FBI said.

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U.S. Capitol surveillance video which appears to capture Spencer inside Statuary Hall.

Agents arrested Spencer in Kernersville Tuesday afternoon and he had his initial appearance at the federal courthouse in Greensboro.

Spencer faces three federal charges:

  • Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
  • Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds
  • Obstruction of Justice. 

Court records show that someone alerted the FBI when they saw Spencer's Facebook videos from inside the U.S. Capitol. The person also said Spencer "may have had family members with him, including one who was visible in the posted video," according to court records.

The FBI said it received three videos after getting a search warrant for Spencer's Facebook account. Federal investigators said the phone number on the account was the same that the informant gave agents.

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A screenshot, provided by the FBI, from a video Spencer is accused of taking during the riots.

Another video shows Spencer walking through the wing of the Capitol where Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office is, according to the FBI. "Where’s Nancy’s office?" he said in the video, court documents said.

Facebook searches for Spencer's profile Thursday read, "We're temporarily hiding some results for this search query."