FBI Louisville has arrested a Kentucky man accused of using a flagpole to attempt to break into a door to the House of Representatives chambers during the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Chad Barrett Jones, 42, was arrested Saturday and faces multiple charges, according to a tweet from the federal agency.
Among his charges are assault on a federal officer, certain acts during a civil disorder, destruction of government property over $1,000, obstruction of justice, unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
According to a criminal complaint, one of Jones' family members submitted a tip to the FBI on Jan. 8. The witness said he saw Jones using a rolled up "Trump flag" to breach the doors inside the U.S. Capitol while watching national news coverage of the events.
When the family member told Jones he needed to contact the FBI or an attorney, Jones wanted to explain "why it all was happening and why it was a hoax," according to the complaint.
The affidavit says video footage from inside the Capitol during the riot shows Jones in a red hooded jacket and a gray skullcap among an aggressive crowd trying to breach a barricaded door to the Speaker's Lobby — a hallway that connects to the House chambers — according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Read more:FBI arrests Louisville man who was at the US Capitol riot
Also:Kentucky man and cousin face federal charges in US Capitol riot
As members of the crowd shouted at the Capitol Police officers guarding the door, Jones "forcefully struck" the door's glass panels at least ten times with a long, wood flagpole, according to the affidavit. The location is the same spot where rioter Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot by Capitol Police while attempting to crawl through a broken window.
A second witness who said he was a friend of Jones' told the FBI he saw internet footage of Jones break a window inside the Capitol while standing close to Babbitt before she was shot.
The witness said Jones called him the day after the riot and said he "was in trouble."
Jones admitted to the witness he broke a window and called himself an idiot, according to the criminal complaint. Jones also said he "had been in the middle of the crowd and was able to walk into the United States Capitol without any problem," the complaint says.
Jones, from Mount Washington, is in federal custody and will first appear in court on Tuesday, according to the FBI's statement.
This story will be updated.
Reach Emma Austin at eaustin@gannett.com or on Twitter at @emmacaustin.
