Feb. 27 (UPI) — The FBI Monday arrested a man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol wearing a giant costume panda headpiece.
Jesse James Rumson faces charges of assaulting an officer, entering a restricted building, and an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds, among several other charges related to his alleged actions on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an arrest warrant.
Rumson was arrested in Lecanto, Fla., adding to the more than 985 people who have been arrested in connection to storming the Capitol, NBC News reports. He allegedly can be seen on video walking the halls of the building with the panda headpiece on, but he reportedly took it off several times while outside.
NBC News reported “online sleuths” helped identify Rumson as the man who has been called “Sedition Panda” by many.
An affidavit supporting the arrest of Rumson contained multiple photos of a man special agents say they believe to be Rumson revealing his face by lifting the headpiece and carrying it through the crowd.
Images show a panda-clad person entering the Capitol Building through the Parliamentary Door at about 2:40 p.m., and a special agent writes that this person was among the first rioters to enter through that particular door.
Within about 20 minutes of entering the building, Rumson reportedly was handcuffed. At that point, he was not carrying the panda headpiece anymore, and he left the building within about 15 minutes of entering. People in the crowd helped him remove the handcuffs, prosecutors said.
Rumson is accused of assaulting a law-enforcement officer, and photos of him appearing to grab the face shield of an officer are included in the affidavit.
