Eric Munchel Wiki – Eric Munchel Biography
Eric Munchel of Tennessee and Larry Rendell Brock of Texas, a retired Air Force Reserve officer, are depicted in some of the more recognizable photos of rioters that have circulated online since the attack.
Two law enforcement officials told CNN earlier that Munchel was seen on January 6 in photos and videos that depicted him inside the US Capitol wearing black paramilitary gear and carrying plastic restraints, an item in a holster on his right hip, and a cell phone mounted on his chest with the camera facing outward, ostensibly to record events that day.
Records from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee show Munchel is being held on behalf of federal authorities. Munchel was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Court records further describing Munchel’s allegations were not yet available from the Justice Department Sunday night.
A person named Eric Munchel previously worked at Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk, a bar and concert venue on Broadway Avenue in Nashville, owner Steve Smith confirmed Saturday. Smith said Munchel was terminated 60 days ago and declined to share the circumstances of his termination.
A Facebook profile with Munchel’s name and likeness stated he worked as a bartender at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, a company with four locations in Florida. The company posted a statement on its Facebook page Friday night acknowledging that “a former employee of ours from 2+ years ago was involved in the recent events at the Capitol building.” The post went on to say that the company has “no affiliation with this employee and their actions were their own.”
Eric Munchel Age
Eric Munchel’s age is unclear.
Arrested & Charge
Nashville man Eric Munchel, who was accused by online researchers as being one of the men who carried zip ties into the U.S. Capitol during the riot Wednesday, has been arrested and now faces federal charges.
After photos of a masked man dressed in paramilitary gear and carrying zip ties in the U.S. Senate chamber appeared online, people began referring to him as the “zip tie guy” on social media. That online sleuthing coincided with the FBI’s call for tips leading to the identification of rioters seen in the photos.
Here’s what we’ve learned about the Nashville “zip tie guy” since Wednesday.
Munchel was being held in a local Nashville jail Sunday on a federal warrant, online records show. An FBI spokesperson, Samantha Shero, confirmed the arrest.
A news release from the Washington federal prosecutor’s office says he is charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. The federal news release also identifies him as Eric Gavelek Munchel.
Fulton County, Georgia, court records show Munchel stood trial for misdemeanor battery charges in 2015. According to Patch, a hyper-local news site, the Sandy Springs Police Department Captain said Munchel and another man were accused of assaulting a man and woman in 2013. Records on the final disposition of the case weren’t immediately available.
He was also arrested in 2014 on charges of possession of marijuana and speeding, for which he negotiated a plea that diverted his sentence, publicly available Fulton County Superior Court records show. Those records also state there are no judgments against Munchel.
Investigation Report
On Thursday, Douglas Korneski, the special agent in charge of the Memphis Field Office, said the agency was working to identify the man from the photos.
“The FBI is aggressively working to identify any of the individuals who were involved in yesterday’s events and is working very closely with the Department of Justice in any way we can to prosecute those individuals,” Korneski said.
After extensive online efforts to identify the men in the photos carrying hand restraints in the Senate, Munchel’s name began to circulate. One of the first to name him was John Scott-Railton, a researcher at the University of Toronto, who said he shared the information with the FBI.