A man arrested after his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was brought to the attention of law enforcement because he mentioned it to a match on a dating app.
Robert Chapman, a New York resident, was arrested Thursday for his apparent role in the riot, and court documents showed that a match on Bumble turned him in to authorities.
“I did storm the capitol. I made it all the way into Statuary Hall!” he wrote to his brief match on Jan. 13 before adding in messages that he conducted interviews with two media outlets.
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The match, whose name and gender were not revealed, responded, “We are not a match,” and the person provided a screenshot of the conversation to law enforcement.
Chapman has been charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted government property.
He was seen on video inside the Capitol, and the FBI was tipped off to a Facebook profile that had posted a photo appearing to be of Chapman inside the Capitol building smiling for a selfie. The man in the photo is believed to be Chapman because he is wearing the same clothing, specifically a black-and-white headband, and has distinct facial hair.
In the comments of the post, an individual named “Robert Erick,” whom authorities said is him, wrote: “Lisa Jeanne Vunk these are your peers? colleagues?” and continued to make remarks about “keyboard warriors.”
The Facebook page of “Robert Erick” includes photos of the man purported to be Chapman inside the Capitol, and he posted a status mentioning that “I’M … INSIDE THE CRAPITOL!!!” a day or so after posting, “Gettin[g] out Of New York … the rotten apple. Gonna go down to the District of Criminality to Enjoy some much deserved Entertainment!”
The FBI has apprehended more than 300 people in connection to the violence that occurred at the Capitol on Jan. 6, of which 65 were charged for assaulting officers.
Thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump flocked to Washington, D.C., to hear him speak at a rally on the morning of Jan. 6, the day Congress was set to confirm President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. He urged his supporters to march to the Capitol to voice their displeasure with their confirmation of Biden’s victory.
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There were violent clashes with law enforcement, while others appeared to walk around the Capitol casually.
Five people died on the day of the riot, though only one was ruled a homicide. Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Navy veteran, was shot and killed as she tried to breach a door leading to the House chamber, and the unnamed officer who killed her will not be charged in connection to her death.
