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Northern Michigan man charged for role in Capitol riot

Posted at 6:24 AM, Jul 01, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-01 06:24:27-04

(AP) — A northern Michigan man was arrested Thursday and charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors said.

Luke Michael Lints, 27, of Traverse City was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder, a felony, and related misdemeanor offenses, prosecutors said.

Lints was among rioters who repeatedly engaged in violence against law enforcement officers guarding the Capitol, court documents said. He confronted officers in the Lower West Terrace and tunnel areas of the Capitol and entered the tunnel there, making his way towards the front of the police line.

Lints held a police shield and pushed back against officers, at one point using a police shield to prevent an officer from closing a door to protect himself from the rioters, documents said. Lints also was part of a crowd directly outside the tunnel as a Metropolitan Police Department officer was assaulted by rioters.

It wasn’t clear whether Lints has an attorney who might comment on his behalf.

His arrest follows that of Ryan Kelley, a Republican candidate for Michigan governor and ardent defender of former President Donald Trump, on misdemeanor charges June 10 for his role in the riot.