Online Videos Help Prosecutors Pursue People Who Stormed US Capitol
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - All of the cell phone videos posted online and social media is helping federal investigators and prosecutors file charges against those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Among them, Jenna Ryan of North Texas who arrested Friday on charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Court documents refer to the video Ryan recorded on Facebook Live of herself outside the Capitol and walking inside.
The video was later posted on YouTube.
In it, Ryan can be seen and heard chanting "USA, USA", and saying, "I'm not messing around" and "We're going to f'ing go in here. Life or death, it doesn't matter."
Court documents show In a tweet afterwards, Ryan tweeted, "We just stormed the Capital. (sic) It was one of the best days of my life."
Ryan initially told CBS 11 she didn't go inside the Capitol, but later in a statement on Twitter, she said she does not condone the violence that occurred at the Capitol.
Former U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Texas, Paul Coggins, said the videos make this case far different from other criminal cases. "Criminals generally don't videotape. Bank robbers don't videotape their bank robbery and send that out to the world."
A federal judge released Ryan on the misdemeanor charges late Friday afternoon.
Ryan's arrest comes one day after another North Texan arrested for unlawfully entering the Capitol that day, Larry Brock, was released from custody by a federal magistrate, Jeffrey Cureton.
Court documents refer to video and still photos showing Brock inside the Capitol wearing a helmet, body armor, and camo jacket.
In court, a prosecutor said he was holding zip ties with the purpose of restraining people.
The agent testified Brock had posted January 1 on Facebook, "Castle will be stormed on the 6th."
And that on that day, Brock posted: "Patriots on the hill. Patriots storming. Men with guns need to shoot their way in."
But his defense attorney told the judge Thursday, Jan. 14, that Brock wasn't violent at the Capitol, voluntarily surrendered January 10, and as a Lt. Colonel, served four tours in Afghanistan.
Coggins said, "The magistrate who looked at this is a very experienced, very careful magistrate. It had to have been a close call, though, because what you said that the defendants own words almost got him locked up. I think probably what might have tipped it in his way, is it sounds like he did voluntarily surrender."
The judge said Brock would have to be confined at home, stay away from protests and firearms, and would have limited travel and access to the internet.
While Brock is facing misdemeanor charges, the prosecutor warned in court that those charges could be upgraded.
He and his family declined comment.
Coggins predicted how those arrested in these cases may defend themselves in court. "I think what you're going to hear from a lot of the defendants is, we were invited there. We were answering the call. We were asked by, for example, the President to go and we did his bidding. So we were we were not storming the castle, we were invited to go and do what we were doing."
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