Wednesday, October 25, 2023–10:34 a.m.
-U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia-
A Georgia man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Jacob Davis, 31, of Adairsville, Georgia, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with deadly or dangerous weapons and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Davis is charged with misdemeanor offenses of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Davis was arrested on Oct. 17, 2023, in Adairsville, GA, and made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia today.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Davis attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse and afterward made his way toward the Capitol building. Davis arrived at the west side of the building and proceeded to push his way through the assembled crowd to arrive at the front of the riot. Davis then made his way to the northwest steps, finally arriving at the Lower West Terrace.
At that time, a violent battle for control over the Lower West Terrace Tunnel and the entrance to the Capitol just beyond was underway. As Davis approached the mouth of the Tunnel, he witnessed a chaotic scene of other rioters falling and being trampled by each other. At about 4:13 p.m., Davis entered the mouth of the Tunnel and picked up a Metropolitan Police Department riot shield. He then pressed into the Tunnel against the police before giving up the shield to another rioter.
At approximately 4:17 p.m., Davis participated in a coordinated “heave-ho” effort in which rioters rocked back and forth in unison, thrusting their collective body weight to exert maximal force against the police line. Davis then exited the tunnel at approximately 4:19 p.m. and remained on the Lower West Terrace. At some point, he acquired a long wooden board and hurled the board at the officers inside the Tunnel. The board landed on the officers’ heads.
After throwing the wooden board, Davis then proceeded to push against the officers’ riot shields at the Tunnel entrance. Davis later left the Tunnel and remained on Capitol grounds until after 5:00 p.m.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Atlanta and Washington Field Offices, which identified Davis as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #353 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 33 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fib.gov.
