- Details
- By Levi Rickert
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Columbia on Saturday said Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli, of Arizona, was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds on Wednesday.
Chansley was taken into custody today, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Columba.
“It is alleged that Chansley was identified as the man seen in media coverage who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless, and tan pants. This individual carried a spear, approximately 6 feet in length, with an American flag tied just below the blade,” the news release said.
Chansley, who is involved with QAnon and is a pro-Trump supporter, was first identified as Jake Angeli because he uses that name. Native News Online identified him on Wednesday as Angeli based on other reports.
His costume drew the attention on social media and circulated heavily by American Indians, many of whom circulated memes of Chansley.
Chansley calls himself the “QAnon shaman.”
According to the Washington Post, Chansley called the FBI on Thursday to speak to law enforcement. He “stated that he came as a part of a group effort, with other ‘patriots’ from Arizona, at the request of the President that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C. on January 6, 2021.”
Chansley was identified by law enforcement through public databases, including an Arizona’s driver’s license photograph.
A Capitol Police arrest affidavit said an agent confirmed Chansley’s identification by media reports, citing his “unique attire and extensive tattoos” seen in photographs Chansley posted on a Facebook page. The defendant also was identified by law enforcement through public databases, including his Arizona driver’s license photo, said Capitol Police Special Agent James Soltes.
Chansley told an Arizona news source last year he dresses in his costume to attract attention.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (September 25, 2022): D.C. BriefsRep. Mary Sattler Peltola Hits the Ground Running: Her First Bill Introduced Clears Committee Two Days Later
EXCLUSIVE: Deb Haaland Q&A on Road to Healing Tour Progress
September 20 is National Voter Registration Day: Native Organizations Team Up to Increase Native Youth Voter Engagement
Tribal Business News Round-Up: Sept. 19
Do you appreciate a Native perspective on the news?
For the past decade-plus, we’ve covered the important Indigenous stories that are often overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the toppling of colonizer statues during the racial equity protests, to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools, we have been there to provide a Native perspective and elevate Native voices.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation this month to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps us remain a force for change in Indian Country and continue telling the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked. Most often, our donors make a one-time gift of $20 or more, while many choose to make a recurring monthly donation of $5 or $10. Whatever you can do, it helps fund our Indigenous-led newsroom and our ability to cover Native news.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
