Charleston man who allegedly attacked police in Jan. 6 Capitol riot arrested by FBI
A Charleston man who allegedly attacked police during the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot by throwing objects and shooting chemical sprays at them has been arrested by the FBI.
Justin Daniel Perrou, 44, was in the thick of fighting at the Capitol and attacked police with long poles and used a bullhorn “to amplify obscenities that he yelled at police officers,” a complaint in the case said.
He is the 26th person from South Carolina to date to be arrested in the Capitol breach. Nineteen have pled guilty and a jury found one guilty. Charges against five others are pending.
Perrou is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with five felony offenses, including civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon; and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington.
Other felony charges include disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, the news release said.
Evidence in his case includes numerous videos that show him assaulting police and one video that shows him grabbing the face mask of one officer and yanking it down, according to the complaint. Additionally, geolocation data shows that his cell phone was present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in the area where videos were taken of him, the complaint said.
The complaint said the FBI agent who arrested Perrou is assigned to the South Carolina Joint Terrorism Task Force and has participated in investigations of individuals motivated by extremist ideology and groups who commit criminal acts, including acts of terrorism. The agent’s name was redacted in the court documents.
Perrou was arrested Thursday and was to appear Friday morning at the Charleston federal courthouse before Magistrate Judge Molly Cherry. As of Friday afternoon, court records did not reflect the status of Perrou’s case.
A mob of thousands of people attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, breaking through police lines in an effort to stop the certification of the November 2020 presidential election, which was won by President Joe Biden. Although the rioters forced the evacuation of the Capitol for more than four hours, Congress was able to reconvene and certify Biden’s victory.
More than 1,350 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol breach, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington. Some 140 police officers were injured that day.
