MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade man arrested for being part of the mob that attacked the Capitol is out of jail. Gabriel Garcia posted $100,000 bond and was released.
In a lengthy statement, an FBI agent cites example after example of Garcia taking part in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol — and the most damaging evidence is video Garcia himself posted on Facebook.
In calmer times, Garcia ran for the state legislature last fall as a conservative Republican.
But then this month he was spotted as a member of the far-right Proud Boys, storming the Capitol with his buddies, fighting with police, calling them “traitors,” the FBI says.
They also heard him say outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office: ”Nancy, come out to play.”
Five people died in the siege.
Garcia is charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
His attorney Aubrey Webb says Garcia will enter a plea when he’s arraigned in Washington next month. He bonded out of jail in Miami on Thursday night.
“He didn’t commit any violent acts up there and didn’t intend to,” Webb said.
We went to Garcia’s home in southwest Miami-Dade on Friday. A woman inside told us she had no comment, and within minutes of our arrival, a hand-lettered sign to that effect was posted on the front door.
We wanted to ask Garcia, who was formerly in the Army, how long he’s been a Proud Boy, the extremist group known for violent confrontations and being anti-Muslim and antisemitic.
By the time Garcia is arraigned next month, his charges could be upgraded. Prosecutors are trying to determine if the Proud Boys planned the siege ahead of time and then carried it out together. That would be a conspiracy.
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