FBI Arrests January 6 Rioter Dubbed 'Sedition Panda'
23:12 GMT 27.02.2023 (Updated: 23:13 GMT 27.02.2023)
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Weeks after the second anniversary of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, arrests of its participants have continued. Estimates indicate nearly 1,000 people have been hit with charges since thousands stormed the federal building in the hopes of stopping the certification of the 2020 election.
Authorities with the FBI apprehended on Monday a Florida man who allegedly stormed the US Capitol and attacked law enforcement officials during the January 6 riot - all while dressed in a voluminous panda mask.
The detainee, Jesse James Rumson, was charged with the following:
Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers
Obstruction of Law Enforcement During Civil Disorder
Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds
Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds
Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds
Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
At the time, the costume-wearing rioter gained notoriety across social media and was nicknamed "Sedition Panda."
According to FBI reports, while inside, Rumson lost his panda head and was apparently handcuffed before being escorted out of the Capitol through another door. Other rioters were said to have helped him out of the restraints.
After his release, he allegedly ran through the crowd gathered outside the Capitol to a line of officers. Rumson then grabbed the officer's helmet, "which forced the officer's head and neck back and upwards."
13 January 2021, 13:00 GMT
The filing further alleges that Rumson was heard yelling "GET A RAM!", before going inside the building.
Here's footage from a Jan. 6 trial of what that break-in by the Senate Parliamentarian's office looked like from the inside: pic.twitter.com/BTBjH3LmIw
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) June 1, 2022
Federal investigators were able to pinpoint Rumson as he was repeatedly caught with and without the panda mask, giving officials a clear view of his face. Rumson was reportedly inside the Capitol for about 15 minutes.
Since the 2021 riot, hundreds have been arrested in connection with the Capitol storming, with charges only expected to emerge in the days ahead.
