2 more Colorado men arrested for conduct during breach of U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021
Two men from El Paso County have been arrested this week on felony and misdemeanor charges related to their conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI said "Their actions and actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Eric Zeis, 37, of Monument and Justin Schulze, 31, of Colorado Springs were arrested on Monday. They have been charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and several misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
According to court documents, Zeis and Schulze drove from their home in Colorado to Washington, D.C. to attend former President Trump's speech and "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, 2021. After the rally, the two made their way to the east side of the Capitol building, where they joined a large group of rioters that had forced United States Capitol Police officers to retreat from their positions to the East Rotunda doors.
The FBI said Zeis and Schulze positioned themselves in a large group outside the East Rotunda doors that pushed against USCP officers to get inside. USCP officers made numerous commands for the crowd to stop and deployed pepper spray, but that didn't work. Members of the mob chanted "Stop the Steal!" and "Our house!" as rioters banged on the glass windows. At approximately 2:25 p.m., the Rotunda door was successfully breached by rioters, and the duo entered shortly after.
Court documents detail the rest of their activities, including making their way to various parts of the Capitol like the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, the hallways between the House Chamber and the Speaker's Lobby, the Statuary Hall Connector where they emersed themselves in a large group that was confronting officers guarding the U.S. House of Representatives chambers.
Investigators said that Zeis and Schulze retraced their steps back throughout the Capitol but stopped in the Rotunda and were seen in video joining a group that collectively pushed officers. The two left the building shortly after 3 p.m.
According to the FBI, more than 1,200 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony, in the 34 months since the breach.
