The Department of Justice.
- An accused Capitol rioter was arrested this month after his former Uber driver tipped off the FBI.
- Dash cam footage captured Jerry Daniel Braun talking about tearing down barricades during the siege.
- More than 800 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot thus far.
A California man was arrested on Capitol riot charges earlier this month after the Uber driver who drove him away from the January 6 attack tipped off the FBI, according to new court documents unsealed this week.
Jerry Daniel Braun faces three charges related to his role in the insurrection, including entering and remaining in a restricted building, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and obstruction during civil disorder.
Prosecutors say a Washington, DC-area Uber driver reached out to the FBI in January 2021 to share information about an apparent rioter. The driver told investigators that a passenger acknowledged tearing down a barricade at the US Capitol immediately following the siege on January 6, 2021.
The driver, who identified the passenger only as “Jerry” at the time, said the man had a white beard and a visible injury near his right eye. The driver said Braun was picked up about a mile from the US Capitol grounds and dropped off at a hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
A portion of Braun’s ride was captured on video by a dash cam in the Uber, according to court documents, during which the driver engaged Braun in conversation about the siege.
“So, has it been violent all day?” the driver asked, according to prosecutors.
“Well, it started around right when I got there,” Braun responded. “I tore down the barricades.”
“You did?” the driver asked. “Why?”
“Well, because, so we could get to the Capitol,” Braun replied.
“Well, how’d that work out for ya?” the driver responded.
“Well, it looks like, uh, Biden’s gonna be our president,” Braun said.
Investigators used Braun’s hotel reservation and license to confirm that he was indeed the same man in the Uber dash cam video, prosecutors said. Agents then set out to find more video and photographic evidence of Braun’s conduct during the riot.
Braun was captured on body-worn camera footage “physically struggling” with law enforcement officers using a barricade, according to court records.
In the videos, Braun is in possession of a long, wooden plank, prosecutors said. In one instance, Braun can be seen using the plank to physically strike an individual wearing a “PRESS” helmet. Prosecutors say Braun and the photographer can be seen exchanging words for a moment before Braun strikes the photographer again, both with his hand and the plank.
NBC News, which first reported Braun’s recent arrest, reported that online sleuths also played a role in identifying Braun using screenshots and video evidence.
In November 2021, FBI agents searched Braun’s home in South El Monte, California, according to court documents, and Braun confessed that he was present at the attack. When investigators asked if Braun had anything he wanted to say before they left, he reportedly said “guilty.”
According to the affidavit, when agents asked what he was guilty of, Braun responded: “Everything.”
Braun told the agents that he sustained the injury to his eye after the riot, when he tripped, fell, and “busted” his head as he walked through DC carrying a pizza upon calling his Uber ride.
Investigators also obtained Braun’s cellphone records which included messages he sent after the attack referencing “hand to hand combat” and occupying the Capitol.
An attorney for Braun did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
More than 800 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot, and 253 rioters have pleaded guilty thus far.
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