Two women were arrested in connection with the United States Capitol riot, where one of them posted a video on social media saying they were looking for mayor Nancy Pelosi “to shoot her in the brain, but we haven’t found her,” according to with federal prosecutors.
Dawn Bancroft and Diana Santos-Smith were arrested in Pennsylvania on Friday after federal officials received a tip about the “selfie” video, which appeared to have been filmed by Bancroft, according to the criminal complaint. The video showed Bancroft wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap and Santos-Smith with a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap trying to get out of the United States Capitol building alongside a crowd of other former supporters. President Donald Trump on January 6.
“We invaded Capitol … we entered, we did our part,” said Bancroft in the video, according to the complaint. “We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the brain, but we haven’t found her.”
When interviewed by the FBI on the day of his inauguration, Santos-Smith initially told authorities that he attended the Trump rally, but did not enter the Capitol building. When the agents showed the video of Bancroft’s “selfie”, Santos-Smith admitted that she lied. Santos-Smith said he entered the Capitol to protest, but had not planned it in advance, according to the criminal complaint.
While Bancroft and Santos-Smith admitted that they entered the Capitol building “for approximately 30 seconds to a minute”, they denied entry to any offices.
Both women are facing charges, including intentionally entering and staying in restricted buildings without legal authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Bancroft and Santos-Smith are among at least 160 people federally charged with riot-related crimes that left five dead. Among them are also QAnnon’s supporter, Jacob Anthony Chansley – aka Jake Angeli or “Q Shaman” – and Dominic Pezzola, a well-known member of the far-right nationalist group, the Proud Boys.
Chansley, who was photographed on Capitol Hill carrying a 6-foot spear and wearing a horned fur costume during the riot, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges including intentionally entering a restricted building without legal authority and for violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, court documents show. The day before, his lawyer offered Chansley to testify at ex-President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial next month.
Pezzola was one of the first to lead the charge inside and outside the Capitol, effectively overcoming police defenses after stealing a police riot shield, according to a document presented by prosecutors seeking to keep Pezzola in detention until trial.
“The defendant’s actions show planning, determination and coordination. His stated desire to commit more acts of violence, combined with his access to manuals on the manufacture of weapons and bombs, is extremely worrying, ”says the court document.
Prosecutors, citing social media posts and surveillance videos, said Pezzola and another member of the Proud Boy helped thousands of people reach the Capitol after moving a piece of the fence that left the police unprotected. Pezzola supposedly then pulled out a riot shield and used it to break a building’s window.
“In addition, although the defendant turned himself in to the arrest warrant, he did so only after running away, changing his appearance and apparently turning off his cell phone,” said the lawsuit about Pezzola’s actions after the riot.
The FBI found evidence to suggest that some rioters coordinated the attack on the Capitol, which includes Pezzola’s actions, while discussions of potential violence were also taking place online on portals like TheDonald.win, Parler and Telegram.
The additional arrests take place at a time when authorities are working to increase security measures for US lawmakers. On Thursday, Capitol Police asked members of Congress to report travel plans in order to increase protection for lawmakers traveling through the region’s major airports and Washington’s Union Station.
Pelosi, D-Calif., Said that part of the threat is an “enemy” inside the chamber, in reference to colleagues who “want to bring weapons to the ground and have threatened violence against other members of Congress”.
Congresswoman Cori Bush, D-Mo., Said on Friday that she requested that Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Move her office on Capitol Hill, claiming that she “scolded” her in the hall without a mask.
