Twitter Users Get Wires Crossed And Think Capitol Rioter Is Named 'Via Getty'

Updated September 6, 2021

Between its fatal consequences and its implications for American democracy, it's perfectly understandable that most Americans would still be reeling after yesterday's raid on the Capitol that saw both the Senate and House of Representatives evacuated.

And while this is an unfortunate and undesirable consequence of such an event, it's also understandable that the stress of what people are seeing would compel them to jump to what would normally seem like hasty conclusions.

After all, the sad fact is that after the tragedy of the Boston bombing, a Reddit community found themselves accusing the wrong man of perpetrating the attack.

But if there's anything that we can take some solace in when this phenomenon occurs, it's that the results can sometimes be harmlessly chuckle-worthy rather than potentially life-ruining.

By mid-afternoon, social media platforms were awash with uncanny scenes of people clad in pro-Trump paraphernalia running amok in the U.S. Capitol.

Getty Images | Win McNamee

As we can see, one of them saw this individual pose with a smile on his face while carrying a lectern with the seal of the Speaker of the House on it.

But when Politico Chief Washington Correspondent Ryan Lizza made Twitter users aware of this scene, his tweet apparently caused some confusion.

As we can tell from my attribution above, he was simply crediting Getty Images as the source of this photo.

However, the way that this credit was stylized apparently convinced people that the person in this photo's name is actually Via Getty.

And while it's likely that authorities are in the process of doing precisely what this person is suggesting, others who were similar confused soon learned that getting a positive ID won't be as easy as they thought.

Indeed, if you were to follow the tweets of others calling for the arrest of Via Getty, you would see that many of them have since been edited to correct the mistake.

Twitter | @Rachael_Conrad

If nothing else, I suppose that solves the mystery of why Via Getty seems like such a strange name.

But while other users quickly cottoned on to what was happennig here, Lizza nonetheless made a follow-up tweet clarifying his statement.

And while some couldn't help but shake their heads at the fact that this needed clarification, another user resigned himself to the inevitable disappointment that's sure to follow when the intruder's presumably more common name is actually released.

Once it became clear who we weren't dealing with, the internet jumped on one of the only moments of levity that came from that dark day with its signature enthusiasm.

As we can see here, a parody account has already claimed the name Via Getty.

Not only that but they've also clarified that the stolen item was a lectern and not a podium by helpfully explaining the difference.

And of course, the confusion opened the door for jokes about the infamous Via's potential accomplices.

Alongside this example, others weren't sure about the mysterious AP's role in this and why they refuse to reveal their full name.

No matter what happens in a given day, I suppose we can be sure that it'll make the internet work fast.

Filed Under: