SAN ANTONIO – Two men from San Antonio have been arrested in connection with the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol after they were seen in photographs posted by media outlets.
Chance Uptmore and his father, James Uptmore, were arrested by FBI agents on Tuesday and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, officials confirmed to KSAT.
They were taken into custody without incident, and are also facing new charges filed with the Western District of Texas in San Antonio.
FBI first caught wind of the pair’s connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection after they received a tip from a Facebook friend of Chance Uptmore, according to a criminal complaint. Chance Uptmore posted a claim that he had videos from inside the U.S. Capitol.
In a Facebook comment, Chance Uptmore indicated he was inside the building and said police officers thanked the rioters.
“When a painting was grabbed off the wall we helped the cops recover it,” he posted in a comment, court records state. “The cops were saying stuff like ‘we stand with you’ ‘thanks for being here’ ‘you made your point now leave calmly’ I have it all on tape.”
He added that the “overwhelming majority” of the group was not being destructive and they “were just making their voice heard.”
An image posted to Facebook also shows Chance Uptmore standing outside the federal building and rioters in the background.
A man fitting Chance Uptmore’s description was also photographed in a story from the Telegraph UK and in CNN coverage, the complaint states.
FBI agents on Jan. 17 conducted a search warrant at James Uptmore’s home, where Chance lives.
Chance Uptmore said they traveled to Washington D.C. on Jan. 5 to attend then-President Donald Trump’s rally.
It was one event on a five-day trip to celebrate Chance Uptmore’s birthday, court records state.
He told FBI agents that his father followed him into the building after advising him not to go in.
Chance Uptmore said he entered because he got caught in the crowd “and because it was a once in a lifetime event.”
Chance Uptmore told agents that he still had videos from inside the U.S. Capitol on his cellphone.
The Uptmores are among several Texans who’ve been charged in connection to the insurrections, which killed five people and led to the second impeachment of Trump.
Other suspects from Texas include a retired Air Force officer who prosecutors allege “meant to take hostages,” a former mayoral candidate, a right-wing media personality known as “Baked Alaska,” and a San Antonio mortgage loan officer who has since been fired from his job, among others.
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