Dominic Pezzola was accused of breaking a window.
A man seen smoking a cigar during the attack on the US Capitol last week was arrested, according to the FBI.
Dominic Pezzola was arrested on Friday morning and accused of breaking a Capitol window, according to an FBI statement.
After Pezzola, 43, turned himself in, he was detained pending a bail hearing at a later date in Washington, DC. Federal prosecutors have asked that he be detained on the basis of “risk of escape and risk of danger”.
Pezzola was seen “smoking a cigar inside the Capitol building” in a video analyzed by the FBI.
“In the video,” the court records show, “the individual says words to the effect, ‘Smoke from the Capitol Victory, guys. That’s f ——- incredible.”
The FBI confirmed Pezzola’s identity with the help of a witness, who said he knew Pezzola as “Spaz” and that he boasted about breaking the Capitol windows with a police shield before entering.
According to the court records, Pezzola reportedly had ideas of killing Vice President Mike Pence if he had the opportunity.
Pezzola’s online profile says he is a veteran of the Navy.
A US Public Prosecutor’s release issued last Friday says that Pezzola “has been charged with a criminal complaint with an accusation of obstructing an official process, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512 (c) ( 2); an accusation of destruction of government property, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1361; and an accusation of intentionally entering or staying in any restricted building or land without legal authority, in violation of Title 18, Code of the United States, Section 1752 (a). “
The deposition alleges that he “illegally gained entry” to the Capitol by breaking a window with a shield from the US Capitol Police, while instigated by others.
Among other things, the statement says: “The deposition also claims that Pezzola and others claimed that they would have killed anyone they put their hands on, including Mayor, Nancy Pelosi, and Vice President Michael Pence. The deposition claims that , in the days after the event, group members said they would return to Washington, DC, and kill all the ‘m-fer’ they could. “