Macomb man bragged about fighting with cops during U.S. Capitol siege, feds say

Robert Snell
The Detroit News

Detroit — A Macomb County man was charged Wednesday with using chemical spray to attack law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol and federal prosecutors say he later bragged online about how he “f----- those cops up.”

Tim Levon Boughner, 41, of Romeo, is at least the 14th person from Michigan charged in connection with a siege involving hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump motivated by unfounded claims of voter fraud, and is among a minority accused of violently attacking law enforcement. The largest concentration of defendants from Michigan — five — are from Macomb County while more than 700 people have been charged nationwide.

Tim Boughner

Boughner was one of the more sought-after suspects in the siege with the FBI circulating photos of Boughner and a distinctive star-shaped tattoo near his right wrist. Online cyber sleuths who have helped investigators identify people during the siege referred to Boughner by the hashtag “#blackpufferwhitescarf.”

Boughner is being held without bond on several charges, including engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, civil disorder, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a dangerous weapon.

Prosecutors included this photo that they say shows Tim Boughner assaulting officers with a chemical spray outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Prosecutors cite video footage showing Boughner among a crowd of rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and say he used a chemical spray on officers. Later that day, he discussed the attack on social media, saying he "started spraying" and "f----- those cops up," prosecutors alleged.

Boughner kept posting about the siege the next month.

"I have to share," he wrote, according to prosecutors. "My life has not been the same since this day … I still don’t know how I ended up on the capital steps having a pepper spray fight with the capital police.”

The criminal case, filed in federal court in Washington D.C., describes how federal agents obtained a search warrant for Boughner's Facebook account. Agents reviewed multiple comments from the account supporting Trump after the 2020 presidential election and insisting he would be president for four more years.

Tim Boughner

"I can’t believe I’m saying this but we are going to be at war," one comment read. "USA will be dealing with all the evils in this world. They tried to use the flu too (sic) steal our country.”

In another post, Boughner discussed traveling to the Capital on Jan. 6, according to the criminal case.

“Never will there be anything like this again bro," the post read. "Might even get lucky and stomp some ass. Lmao."

The day before the siege, Boughner posted: “I’m on my way to Washington DC. To make sure Biden’s (sic) doesn’t become president."

A tipster shared videos with the FBI showing Tim Boughner and a relative walking toward the U.S. Capitol with other Trump supporters on Jan. 6.

After the siege, Boughner wrote on Facebook about the alleged attack, according to the FBI.

“Tear gassed peppered sprayed guy got next to me got the rubber bullet. I grabbed a can from them and started spraying. I got it on video lol," the post read. “That was wild. We made it to the senate (sic) floor till National guard started fight back."

FBI agents also obtained a search warrant for his phone, which indicated the device was near the Capitol building on Jan. 6, according to the criminal filing.

rsnell@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @robertsnellnews