Utah Activist John Sullivan Charged In Connection To U.S. Capitol Riots

Source: Tooele County Sheriff’s Office / Tooele County Sheriff’s Office

John Sullivan, portrayed in the media as a liberal activist, has been arrested for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol attack enacted by largely-white domestic terrorists. Sullivan, who is Black, faces three counts in connection to the so-called insurrection and has gained attention due to his assumed alignment with the left. As reported by Salt Lake City-based outlet ABC4, Sullivan, 26, was arrested on Thursday (Jan. 14) and then charged in federal court. The three counts are entering a restricted building or grounds without authority; civil disorders; and violent entry or disorderly conduct.

A look on Sullivan’s webpage, most importantly the about section, revealed that he is the leader of Insurgence USA, which focuses on “racial justice and police reform” in the town of Sandy, a Salt Lake City suburb. Via Sullivan’s site, video of the Capitol attack is positioned front and center on the page and auto-plays across the entire homepage. In fact, Sullivan enjoyed a significant media run last week as one of the first observers of the Capitol insurrection, with outlets like CNN gaining his perspective. Sullivan is thought to be the first to upload a video of the shooting of Ashli Babbitt, describing the grim details of her dying moments to CNN and others after she attempted to burst through a window into the Speaker’s Lobby. Up until his arrest, Sullivan continued to show video of the attack from his vantage point, which carries close to his claims of being there to capture the events as a self-proclaimed video journalist. Sullivan added in subsequent public statements that he was simply there at the Capitol to see how the events would play out, and to even represent Black voices in the insurrection. While on the surface it appears Sullivan was very much in line with his talking points if his Twitter feed stands as evidence, there are some on the left who claim he’s nothing more than an agent provocateur. We’ve got the reactions from Twitter to John Sullivan’s arrest below. https://twitter.com/realjaydenx/status/1349524278526369793 — Photo: Tooele County Sheriff’s Office