Three of the pro-Trump protesters whose photos have toured the world since their violent intrusion on the Capitol on Wednesday have been arrested and charged, the Justice Department announced on Saturday, January 9.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, aka Jake Angeli, the shirtless, buffalo horned and painted conspirator who had magnetized photographers and cameras across Capitol Hill, was arrested and charged with unlawful trespassing and violent conduct on Capitol Hill, reported the ministry in a press release.
“This individual was armed with a two-meter-long spear with an American flag attached just below the blade”, underlines the press release. The indictment states that Chansley called the FBI Thursday to confirm his presence on Capitol Hill. He claimed that he “Was part of a group action responding, along with other Arizona ‘patriots’, to a call from the president to all ‘patriots’ to come to Washington on June 6”.
Originally from Arizona, this thirty-something, who says to himself “Spiritual warrior” and is called “The Wolf of the Yellowstone”, has already been seen numerous times during pro-Trump protests in Phoenix in recent months, systematically sporting his famous headdress. It presents itself as a “QAnon digital soldier”, the conspiracy movement of which Donald Trump is the hero and which saw Wednesday’s intrusion as a triumph.
“Filming History”
Adam Johnson, the 30-year-old in the Trump hat pictured all smiles carrying the desk of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was arrested in Florida on Friday. He was charged with the same counts but also with theft, although Ms Pelosi’s desk was found the next day, abandoned in a hallway.
Finally Derrick Evans, an elected member of the Parliament of the State of West Virginia who had filmed himself breaking into Congress by shouting “Derrick Evans is on Capitol Hill! “, was arrested Friday at his home and charged on Saturday with illegal trespassing and violent conduct.
The local elected official, who announced his resignation on Saturday, had broadcast his exploits live on his Facebook account and the indictment quotes him when he pushes people around him to force the doors of the Capitol, shouting “Come on, come on! “, then when he exclaims: “We are in the place! “
Later, the elected official posted a statement on Facebook claiming not to have participated in any degradation and to have entered the Capitol only when “Independent member of the media, to film History”.
Already thirteen indictments
The three indictments highlight that the defendants illegally entered a federal building “When Vice President Mike Pence was present”, which makes their case worse.
On Friday, the ministry had already announced thirteen indictments for trespassing and disorder, and the arrest in Arkansas of Richard Barnett, a pro-gun activist photographed with his foot on the desk of Nancy Pelosi. Before leaving, he left an insulting note for the Democratic leader in Congress.
Among those pursued are a man who had eleven molotov cocktails in a vehicle parked near Congress, another who punched a Capitol policeman while forcing his way, and a third entered with a gun. loaded into the Congress precinct.
