The FBI on Thursday arrested a fan of Alex Jones’ Infowars network who allegedly was near the front of the mob when DC Metropolitan police officer Daniel Hodges was crushed in a door frame — in one of the more widely viewed videos from the insurrection.
Jeffrey Scott Brown, 54, of Santa Ana, California, is charged with inflicting bodily injury on officers, obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
“According to court documents, Brown was part of the crowd entering the tunnel at the lower west terrace,” the DOJ wrote. “Video footage shows him reaching through the crowd towards another rioter, who provides him with a can of spray. Brown can then be seen pointing the can towards the police defensive line and deploying the spray for several seconds in the direction of the police. Brown also participated in the pushing action against officers who were attempting to restrict access to the U.S. Capitol.”
According to the DOJ’s criminal complaint, Brown “was at the front of the crowd of rioters in the tunnel, participating in the pushing action against officers who were attempting to restrict access to the U.S. Capitol through the exterior door to the Lower West Terrace.”
“During this time, a Metropolitan Police Department Officer (“Officer Victim 1″) was at the front of the line of officers,” the complaint states, referring to Hodges. “This officer was being pressed between the crowd of rioters and the line of officers. His gas mask was ripped off by another individual and blood can be seen in his mouth.”
Hodges later testified before Congress and referred to the Capitol rioters as “terrorists.”
The Orange County Register adds: “The day before the Jan. 6 riot, Brown posted a selfie, wearing an Infowars shirt, and a message — ‘Boarding LAX’ — to a Telegram messaging application group chat that described itself as ‘the Comms for able bodied individuals that are going to DC on Jan 6’ where members ‘are all ready and willing to fight, authorities said.”
The Telegram chat group, the “California Patriots-DC Brigade,” allegedly was created by fellow insurrectionist Russ Taylor of Irvine.
Brown, who appeared on FBI fliers seeking the identity of Capitol rioters, become known as #BlackHatSprayer prior to his arrest.
According to the DOJ’s complaint, Brown was identified thanks in part to cell phone videos obtained in a search warrant on another Capitol rioter, Gina Bisignano.
Brown is the second suspect tied to Infowars arrested on charges stemming from the insurrection this week. Owen Shroyer, who hosts a show on the Infowars network, turned himself in on Monday.
Image: Jeffrey Scott Brown before boarding his flight, left, and at the Capitol. (Department of Justice)