Arrests mount in melee at Capitol
Police have arrested numerous participants in last week’s protests and Capitol riot, including a man who was charged with threatening Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, after he sent a text message saying he would put “a bullet in her noggin on Live TV,” authorities said.
Federal agents said the man, Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr., had been staying at a hotel in Washington and had weapons in his camperstyle trailer, including a handgun, an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Meredith was charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, possession of an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition, according to court records.
By Saturday, prosecutors had filed 17 cases in federal district court and 40 others in the District of Columbia Superior Court for a variety of offenses ranging from assaulting police officers to entering restricted areas of the U. S. Capitol.
The Atlanta JournalConstitution reported that Meredith had constructed a billboard in 2018 in Acworth, Ga., that read “# QANON” along with the name of his business, Car Nutz Car Wash.
Meredith, whose current hometown was unavailable, told federal agents that he had been traveling from Colorado and had arrived too late for Wednesday’s rally in Washington.
In one of several text messages to friends, he said he had “a ton of 5.56 armor piercing ammo,” according to the FBI. In other text messages, he referred to Pelosi with misogynistic slurs and threatened to run her over, the FBI said.
“I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die,” Meredith wrote, according to the FBI.
A vast number of photos and videos captured the riot, which left five people dead. Many of the images were taken by the rioters themselves, few of whom wore masks that would have lowered not only their chances of contracting the coronavirus, but their chances of being identified. Some took pains to stand out.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, an Arizona man seen in photos and video of the mob with a painted face and wearing a costume that included a horned, fur hat, was taken into custody Saturday and charged with counts that include violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Chansley, more commonly known as Jake Angeli, will remain in custody in Arizona pending a detention hearing that will be scheduled during an initial court appearance this week, said Assistant U. S. Attorney Esther Winne. Chansley had become a staple in his costume at proTrump protests across the country.
Florida man accused of making off with Pelosi’s lectern during the chaos was arrested Friday on a federal warrant. Adam Johnson, 36, of Parrish, Fla., was being held without bail in Pinellas County.
Johnson posted on social media that he was in Washington, D. C., during Wednesday’s riots and included disparaging comments about the Black Lives Matter movement, according to the Bradenton Herald. Those posts were later deleted or taken down.
Prosecutors said additional cases remained under seal and dozens of other people were being sought by federal agents.
Other notable arrests in the Capitol invasion include Richard Barnett, an Arkansas man who was shown in a widely seen photo sitting in Pelosi’s office with his boots on a desk after the storming of the Capitol, was arrested Friday by the FBI. Barnett, 60, turned himself in to FBI agents in Bentonville, Ark.
Derrick Evans, a West Virginia state lawmaker who posted videos online showing himself pushing his way inside the Capitol, was arrested Friday by the FBI at his home and charged with entering restricted federal property. Evans, who faced bipartisan calls for him to step down, submitted a letter of resignation Saturday to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and apologized for his actions.