DC police seeking horn-wearing Arizona man involved in Capitol mob
Jan 7, 2021, 2:09 PM | Updated: 2:58 pm
Jake Angeli of Arizona screams "Freedom" inside the Senate chamber after the U.S. Capitol was breached by a mob during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – A man well known for appearing in an outlandish costume at Arizona protests is on the radar of police in Washington, D.C., after he was seen among the mob that broke into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
The man, Jake Angeli, was named a person of interest for unlawful entry by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Anybody with knowledge of Angeli’s involvement was asked to call 202-727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. The department offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to his arrest and indictment.
Metropolitan Police already arrested at least two Arizonans in connection with unrest, according to department records. Marsha Murphy, 50, and Joshua Knowles, 31, were each charged with curfew violation and unlawful entry. Details about their alleged offenses were not available.
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Angeli has been hard to miss at local protests in support of President Donald Trump, with his fuzzy hat with horns, bare tattooed torso and painted face.
He was among the crowd of demonstrators outside the Maricopa County Election Center in downtown Phoenix who demanded that workers, who were inside counting votes for the November election, do what they already were doing.
After pro-Trump rioters overpowered police and laid siege to the Capitol, Angeli was seen inside the building, including in the Senate chambers, carrying an American flag and a bullhorn.
MPD seeks assistance in identifying persons of interest responsible for Unlawful Entry offenses that occurred yesterday on US Capitol Grounds, 100 block of 1st Street, NW.
More photos: https://t.co/i2Hbv1bkPh
Have info? Call (202) 727-9099/text 50411 pic.twitter.com/yWIPEaxxFW
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 7, 2021
Four people died, one of them a woman who was shot and killed by police inside the Capitol. Three other people died after suffering “medical emergencies” related to the breach, said Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee.
Police said 52 people were arrested as of Wednesday night, including 26 on the Capitol grounds. Fourteen police officers were injured, Contee said.
The unrest occurred during a joint session of Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College triumph.
The rioters were egged on by Trump, who has spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s victory. Some Republican lawmakers were in the midst of raising objections to the results on his behalf when the proceedings were abruptly halted by the mob.
The horde stopped the proceedings for several hours, but Congress reconvened in the evening and completed the affirmation of Trump’s defeat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
