A father and son have been arrested and hit with criminal charges following their participation in the Capitolriot on Jan. 6.
The Associated Press reports that 50-year-old Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar, Iowa and his 29-year-old son Daniel Johnson of Austin, Minnesota have been charged with four federal crimes: entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
The pair were caught after tipsters told authorities that they were bragging about being some of the first people who broke into the Capitol. “We stormed capitol hill” and “Lol Dad and I were one of the first ones inside,” Daniel wrote to a Facebook friend on Jan. 6. Daniel also allegedly made a similar public comment on a friend’s Facebook page and posted videos of himself in the Capitol to Snapchat.
Daryl alleged that the protesters were peaceful until the police started tossing flash bangs and tear gas at them. “I was there the media story is completely crap,” he wrote on Facebook. Newsweek reports that Daniel also blamed Antifa for the devastation to the Capitol, writing, “Trump supporters were restraining the Antifa people.”
In addition to social media, photos and video show that the Johnsons were present during the riot. Their identities were later confirmed by St. Ansgar police, who knew them because Daryl’s father, Norman Johnson served as mayor of St. Ansgar from 2017 to 2019.
“I have plenty of thoughts, but I’m not going to share them,” Norman told the AP regarding his son and grandson’s situation. The Johnsons were arrested separately, with Daryl appearing in an Iowa federal court last week and Daryl at a federal court in Minnesota.
