(Photo : DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
The US Capitol seen on September 19, 2021 with fencing and closed areas to the public, one day after the protest on September 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. - A few hundred protesters turned up on September 18, 2021 in Washington to rally in support of the pro-Trump rioters who ransacked the US Capitol on January 6, but they were outnumbered by a robust security presence and journalists. Police who were caught on the back foot by the deadly riot on Capitol Hill took no chances this time: they used a security fence around the Capitol complex, police in riot gear and rows of armored trucks to keep the peace.
The eighth Jan. 6 Capitol rioter has just been arrested and charged.
According to reports, Justin Jersey of Michigan joins Logan James Barnhart, Michael John Lopatic Sr., Ronald Colton McAbee, Clayton Ray Mullins, and more as the latest Capitol rioter to have been arrested. Jersey is being detained ahead of his hearing before a D.C. judge.
Justin Jersey identified because of his tattoo
Jersey was identified by online sleuths that noticed a cryptic tattoo on his finger. His girlfriend also tagged Jersey in her posts about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot on Facebook, and this is one of the ways that online sleuths helped authorities capture Jersey.
Also known as "finger man" because of his tattoo, Jersey was first seen in a video circulated online where he assaulted officers during the demonstration that killed a handful of innocent individuals.
Justin Jersey faces multiple charges
Jersey was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon. He was also charged with civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly or disruptive conduct, violent entry, and more.
As of press writing, 675 individuals that participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot have already been arrested. However, this figure is just one-fourth of the total number of rioters that flocked to the Capitol to prevent the Senate from declaring Joe Biden as the winner in the 2020 election, according to the Huffington Post.
Journalist Ryan Reilly said that tattoos are the unsung heroes of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot because they helped authorities capture protesters.
According to Raw Story, Jersey made a brief appearance in federal court on Thursday. And he's being held without bond while waiting to be transferred to a court in Washington.
Business Insider recently reported that out of the hundreds of Capitol rioters arrested, only 129 entered guilty pleas.
Investigations regarding the Capitol riot will continue next year
Following the insurrection, Democratic members of Congress lobbied for a bipartisan commission to investigate the incident similar to the 9/11 attacks. However, Senate Republicans blocked their attempt.
Instead, the House of Representatives created a commission on June 30 with two Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, on the panel.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy previously said that the Republican Party would investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The House panel in charge will hold public hearings sometime next year. Cheney said that the hearings would span several weeks.
"Those hearings will lay out exactly what happened every minute of the day on Jan. 6 here at the Capitol and at the White House and what led to that violent attack," Cheney said via CNBC.
It is still unclear if Donald Trump would be forced to participate in the investigation because he's still denying his involvement in the insurrection.
The ex-POTUS was accused of encouraging his supporters to head to the Capitol so that their voices would be heard. Trump and his fellow Republicans also continue to spread lies about the 2020 election, insisting that it was rigged when it wasn't.
Related Article: Former Donald Trump Aide Cooperates With the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, Doesn't Want To Waive Executive Privilege
