An anonymous special agent for the FBI identified a man from multiple police officers’ body cams on Jan. 6, leading to his arrest Tuesday.
There are seven outstanding charges against Tucson’s Jacob Zerkle, including assaulting an officer, civil disorder, entering restricted grounds, and acts of physical violence on restricted grounds.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section have teamed up to prosecute Zerkle, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Zerkle is allegedly seen on body cam footage punching, pushing, and grabbing several Metropolitan Police officers while on the West Lawn of the Capitol grounds. The officer involved in the complaint claimed that Zerkle was seen “doing the same to other unknown police officers who [the officer] was working with that day.”
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At the time, roughly 20 officers of the Civil Disturbance Unit were pushing through the crowd to provide reinforcements at the Lower West Terrace. All were dressed in their uniforms.
The Sierra Vista Resident Agency of the FBI’s Phoenix field office and the FBI’s Washington field office identified Zerkle by seeking information and photos, according to a press release from the bureau.
The Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police also provided assistance in handing over the body cam footage. Zerkle was ultimately identified by his State Department passport and Arizona driver’s license.
“Zerkle stated that he did not attend former President Trump’s speech because he went to the Capitol to protest, not to listen to speeches,” the arresting special agent reported in court documents. “[The agent] showed Zerkle still photographs from [Officer] C.W.’s [body-worn camera] footage … and Zerkle confirmed that he was the person in the photographs.”
“Zerkle stated that he pushed into some police officers and that he probably did something dumb. Zerkle also said that he was shoved into the police and was trying to protect himself but did not intend to assault a police officer,” according to the report.
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So far, over 775 people from almost every state have been arrested in relation to crimes committed in the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Zerkle is one of 245 subject to charges involving assaulting law enforcement, according to the FBI.
One man has been indicted on charges of sedition, and no one has been charged with insurrection.
