Two Montana brothers accused of being among the first 10 people to break into the U.S. Capitol – before chasing a lone black policeman through the building and wreaking havoc inside the Senate chamber – were charged.
Joshua Calvin Hughes and his brother Jerod Wade Hughes have been charged with a number of crimes, including obstructing an official process, destroying property and entering the Capitol without authorization. The brothers are among more than 150 protesters who were accused of the January 6 uprising, including several members of far-right organizations and former police officers.
Prosecutors allege that the brothers were among the initial mob that invaded the building through a window and advanced toward the Senate floor. The duo confronted Capitol Policeman Eugene Goodman, who was alone trying to protect Senate chambers and was filmed heroically pushing one of the protesters and diverting the crowd. Goodman ended up being chased down the halls of the building and up the stairs.
Goodman’s actions, which potentially saved the lives of Vice President Mike Pence and other elected officials inside the Senate, were filmed by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic in a clip that has been viewed more than 10 million times on Twitter.
Goodman was promoted last week to deputy weapons sergeant in the House and accompanied elected vice president Kamala Harris, the first black woman to hold office, in office.
According to a criminal complaint, the brothers were seen in video and surveillance footage among a group “that broke windows and doors and forced entry” into the Capitol. In a video, they can be seen watching someone break a window with what appears to be a police riot shield before entering.
Once inside, Jerod Hughes was seen kicking a door “until the lock was broken so that other troublemakers could enter” the building.
After the interaction with Goodman, more police officers were called in for reinforcements.
“The police reported that they were outnumbered to try to arrest the protesters, so instead they used their training to try to lessen the situation by talking to the individuals in an attempt to calm them down,” says the complaint.
“Despite these efforts, the police were met with shouting and aggression. When analyzing a digital video recording of this altercation, protesters can be heard shouting ‘this is our home’, ‘this is our America’ and ‘we are here for the corrupt government’ ”.
During the fight with the police, a rowdy man hit the floor with a fire extinguisher, causing him to rupture in what was described as an “explosion”. The incident eased the situation and forced the crowd to leave the Capitol atrium, the complaint said.
Prosecutors, however, said the Hughes brothers did not leave and ended up reaching the Senate floor.
“While in the Senate plenary session, Joshua Calvin Hughes, Jerod Wade Hughes and other protesters sat in the senators ‘seats, opened the senators’ tables and reviewed the confidential material stored there,” the complaint said.
The complaint says the brothers surrendered to the police on January 11 after seeing each other on the news and believing they were wanted by the FBI.
A Facebook account that matches Joshua Hughes’ name and location has several photos of the Montana native wearing a MAGA cap. His “likes” include Fox News stars Tucker Carlson and Tomi Lahren, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and the former president.
According to the social media report, Hughes went to the University of Montana, where he studied health and human performance.
Las Vegas authorities also arrested two men on Thursday who allegedly set up a GoFundMe to help finance their trip to Washington for the riot.
Nathaniel DeGrave, a 31-year-old from Las Vegas, has been accused of intentionally entering or staying in a restricted building without legal authority, and of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. A criminal complaint also mentions that Ronald Sandlin, 31, was arrested at the DeGrave apartment complex.
Josiah Colt, who went to DC with the pair, has already been charged with the same crimes after being photographed sitting in Vice President Mike Pence’s chair. Colt also infamous quickly descended to the Senate Chamber instead of taking the nearby stairs.
Prosecutors say Sandlin posted online two days before Christmas that he was going to DC to “show support for our president and do my part to prevent the theft and support Trump when he decides to cross the rubric. If you are a patriot, I believe it is your duty to be there. I see this as my civic responsibility. “
On New Year’s Eve, he posted: “Dear patriots, I am organizing a caravan of patriots who are going to Washington DC to support our president Donald J. Trump”, adding that although the trio had already booked their trip, they needed ” help and support. ”
“Every dollar you contribute to us is a slap in the face for Antifa. Every penny is a boot in the ass against tyranny. Every Buffalo nickel is a deadly blow to China. If you can’t be there in person, this is the next best thing, ”said Sandlin in a Facebook post on December 31, which included a link to a GoFundMe page titled“ Patriots defending our country on January 6, organized by Ronnie Sandlin. “
In a January 2 Facebook post, Sandlin reported that GoFundMe deleted his fundraiser. “This is tyranny,” he said.
The trio is seen in several photos and videos invading the Capitol, including one in which Sandlin and DeGrave are pushing police officers. The men also recorded videos of themselves before, during and after the riots, publicizing allegations that the election was stolen.
The complaint says that, in another video, DeGrave speaks directly to the camera and says: “We are here protecting the country, if it sucks, if [former Vice President Mike] Pence does what we think he’s going to do, so we’re here to defend this city, to defend any city in this country. Let Antifa try us, we are here, we are ready. I say bring it. We are no longer silent. “