Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Saturday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. More graphic details of the uprising came to light, revealing the violence and brutality of the mob that stormed a U.S. political seat.
During Wednesday’s siege, a bloodied officer opened a door and shouted, forcing lawmakers to hide for hours, delaying the vote to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the election. Another officer tumbled over a railing in the crowd below after being hit from behind from behind. Members of the media were cursed, punched and punched.
A large number of photos and videos captured the riot, killing five people. Many of the images were taken by the rioters themselves, few of whom wore masks that would not only reduce their chances of contracting the coronavirus, but also their chances of being identified. Some made an effort to stand up.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, a man in Arizona who was seen in photos and video with a painted face and a costume with a hat of a fur horn, was arrested on Saturday and charged with charges of violent access and include disorderly conduct on the Capitol site.
Chansley, more commonly known as Jake Angeli, will remain in custody in Arizona pending a detention hearing scheduled for an initial court appearance early next week, U.S. Attorney Esther Winne said. Chansley did not immediately respond to messages left by email and phone.
Chansley, a staple in his costume at pro-Trump protests across the country, is among dozens arrested after the Capitol invasion by a large crowd of Trump supporters who were furious about his election loss. The rioters took over the chambers of the House and Senate, smashed windows and waved Trump, American and Confederate flags.
A Florida man accused of hanging out with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was arrested on Friday night on a federal warrant and detained without bail in Pinellas, Florida. Prison records did not show whether Adam Johnson, 36, of Parrish, Florida, had a lawyer.
Johnson is charged with theft, violent trespassing and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
The married father of five was quickly identified on social media as the man in a photo smiling as he walked through the Capitol roundabout with Pelosi’s mouthpiece, the Bradenton Herald reported.
He reported on social media that he was in Washington DC during Wednesday’s riots and, according to the Herald, included derogatory comments about the Black Lives Matter movement. Those posts were later deleted or removed.
During Wednesday’s violence, Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick was wounded in a confrontation with assailants, who were allegedly hit by a fire extinguisher. He passed away Thursday night. Another officer was crushed in a doorway, but it was unclear what happened to the officer, whose fate was captured on camera and shared by the progressive organization Status Coup. Members of media organizations, including the AP and the New York Times, were attacked.
Prosecutors filed 17 cases in federal court and 40 in Columbia High Court by Saturday for offenses ranging from assaulting police officers to accessing restricted areas of the Capitol, theft of federal property and threatening lawmakers.
Prosecutors said additional cases remain under investigation, dozens are being sought by federal agents, and the U.S. attorney in Washington promised that “all options were on the table” for charges, including possible sedition.
Doug Jensen, a man in Iowa, was jailed early Saturday on federal charges, including trespassing and disorderly conduct. Jensen, 41, and Des Moines were detained unrelated to the jail. Sher Evelyn chief Ryan Evans said he did not know if Jensen had a lawyer.
The video posted online during the storms of the Capitol showed a man apparently a white Jensen chasing a black officer down a flight of stairs while a mob was walking down several steps. At some point, the officer says “come back”, in vain.
Richard Barnett, a man from Arkansas who is shown in a widely viewed photo in Pelosi’s office with his boots on her desk, was arrested by the FBI on Friday. Barnett, 60, surrendered at the sheriff’s office in Benton County, Bentonville, and was jailed at the Washington Detention Center in nearby Fayetteville, pending an initial court appearance, an FBI spokesman said. No lawyer is listed.
Derrick Evans, a West Virginia lawmaker who posted videos showing him entering the Capitol, was arrested by the FBI on Friday and charged with entering restricted federal property.
Evans, who has faced dual calls to resign, submitted a letter of resignation to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Saturday, apologizing for his actions. Evans is facing charges of entering a restricted area of the Capitol after he streamed himself alive and stormed the building with a horde of Trump supporters. The videos show Evans punching a police officer and then grinding around the roundabout as he shouts, “Our house!”