FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas man was arrested Aug. 10 for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 

What You Need To Know

  • Thomas John Ballard, a.k.a Thomas Cliff Ballard, of Fort Worth, is charged with several federal offenses

  • According to court documents, Ballard threw a tabletop at the police officers and used a baton to assault officers 

  • Someone ran Ballard’s photo through a public facial recognition search tool and that led to Ballard's YouTube channel 

  • The FBI interviewed two Arlington police officers who identified Ballard in a Capital riot photo

Thomas John Ballard, a.k.a Thomas Cliff Ballard, 35, of Fort Worth, is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and civil disorder, among other charges. Ballard made his initial court appearance in the Northern District of Texas Tuesday, Aug. 10 at 2 p.m.

According to court documents, Ballard was captured on video taken on the lower west terrace during the riots. Throughout the video, Ballard can be seen at the front of the rioters confronting U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers who were defending the lower west terrace archway. In the video at approximately 4:47 p.m., Ballard threw a tabletop at the police officers. A few minutes later, he used a baton to assault officers.  

According to the FBI, someone ran Ballard’s photo through a public facial recognition search tool and that led to a motorcycle-based YouTube channel called “CliffCares.” That person turned over that information to the FBI and they conducted their own search. During the FBI investigation they found a motorcycle tire repair business connected to Ballard as well as a Facebook business page. 

The Facebook business page included a posted photograph of an Arlington, Texas police officer’s motorcycle, thanking Ballard for a tire change. The FBI interviewed the officer who identified Ballard in a photo from the Capitol riot. That officer also directed the FBI to another Arlington, Texas, police officer who had used Ballard’s repair services. The second officer also identified Ballard in the same photo taken at the riot. 

FBI Ballard Final Statement of Facts by Spectrum News Texas on Scribd

 

The 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 Northern District of Texas.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Ballard as #325 in its seeking information photos, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI’s Dallas Field Office.

In the seven months since Jan. 6, more than 570 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 170 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 800-225-5324 or visit tips.fbi.gov.