3 More Charged After US Capitol Riot, Including Men Seen In Viral Photos, Department Of Justice Says
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- Three more people have been charged following the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said Saturday.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, of Arizona, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
It is alleged that Chansley was the man who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless, and tan pants.
He carried a spear, about six feet in length, with an American flag tied just below the blade, the Department of Justice said.
Adam Johnson, 36, of Florida, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; one count of theft of government property; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
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It is alleged that Johnson illegally entered the United States Capitol and removed the Speaker of the House's lectern from where it had been stored on the House side of the Capitol building.
A search of open sources led law enforcement to Johnson, who is allegedly seen in a widely circulated photo inside the Capitol carrying the lectern, according to the Department of Justice.
Derrick Evans, 35, of West Virginia, 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.
It is alleged that Evans, a recently elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, streamed live to his Facebook page a video of himself joining and encouraging a crowd unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol.
In the video, Evans is allegedly seen crossing the threshold of the doorway into the U.S. Capitol and shouting, "We're in, we're in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!"
These cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office and the United States Capitol Police.
More than four dozen people have been charged following the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, including a Maryland man.
The man from Maryland, 33-year-old Christopher Alberts, was charged with having a firearm and ammunition on Capitol grounds. He has since appeared in court and been released ahead of a January 28 preliminary hearing.
Court documents say a police officer pushing Alberts back from the Capitol around 90 minutes after a District-wide curfew took effect saw a bulge on Alberts' hip that looked like a gun. When the officer told other officers nearby, Alberts, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, allegedly tried to run.
He was arrested with the black Taurus G2C 9mm handgun, which had a round in the chamber, and two 12-round magazines. Police also reportedly found him with a gas mask, a backpack with a pocket knife, first aid kit and a military ready-to-eat meal.
The riot led to five deaths, including of a U.S. Capitol Police officer and a California woman with Maryland ties.
At least 82 people have been arrested, including 11 Marylanders.
On Saturday, Maryland Senator Ben Cardin wrote in a letter to residents that "no one should have been too surprised that it came to this. The horrendous images we all witnessed were the natural culmination of years of divisive, racist and selfish language coming from Donald Trump."
Gov. Larry Hogan said earlier this week the riot was an attack on rule of law.
Police and the FBI are still searching for others who stormed the Capitol as lawmakers counted Electoral College votes from the 2020 presidential election.