WASHINGTON — The FBI on Monday arrested a Florida man who some people on the internet called "#SeditionPanda" because photos showed him entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack wearing a costume panda head.
A court document shows Jesse Rumson, 37, was arrested in Lecanto, located about an hour's drive north of Tampa. He faces several charges including assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.
Months after the attack in June 2021, the FBI received a tip that someone by the name of Rumson entered the Capitol building among the mob of angry supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Photos shown to someone who knew and lived with him verified that the man seen wearing the animal costume was Rumson, an FBI special agent said in a court affidavit laying out the justification for his arrest.
"The individual described above was given the hashtag name of '#SeditionPanda' because, at times, the individual was seen in both open-source and other footage wearing a large headpiece that appeared to be from a panda costume," the agent said.
Closed circuit TV footage inside the Capitol shows the person wearing the panda hat making their way inside at about 2:42 p.m.
A little more than 10 minutes later, the FBI says Rumson is seen on camera heading back outside with his hands behind his back. Rioters then reportedly help to remove handcuffs from his wrists.
Rumson later is seen near a door heading into the U.S. Senate around the time the door was breached for a second time, the affidavit reads. "Get a ram!" someone reportedly is heard saying.
The FBI agent alleges, citing a photo, Rumson later grabs onto an officer's face shield, which forced the officer's head and neck back and upwards.
About 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot, with more than 500 people who have pleaded guilty, according to The Associated Press.
