Sometimes, obstacles are a black and white case.
On Monday, FBI agents in Florida arrested Jesse James Rumson, who they claim attacked the US Capitol while wearing the head of a giant panda, earning the moniker “Sedition Panda” in the process.
Rumson’s place on January 6, 2021, is not difficult to trace, because there is no small part of the costume that was worn on that day.
Federal officials also identified him by the nose ring and wooden rosary beads he was carrying, as well as a silver flagpole and a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag.
In an affidavit filed last week, an FBI special agent testified that Rumson was among the first 20 rioters to enter the Capitol through a door on the building’s upper terrace.
Security footage captures a man wearing a panda head entering the building shortly after the door was breached:
Once inside, Rumson apparently lost his panda head – and got a pair of handcuffs on his wrists. He then left the Capitol building, and other rioters helped to remove the handcuffs, according to the photo.
The affidavit states that a short time later, Rumson called out to other members of the crowd and yelled “GET A RAM!” when they breached a separate entry into the building.
Photos later showed him among a crowd of rioters who clashed with police lines as officers tried to clear the property. He was seen grappling with the officer, holding his head.
A tipster first alerted the FBI about Sedition Panda’s true identity in June 2021.
Rumson faces eight charges, including assault, resisting or obstructing a police officer, obstructing law enforcement, and two separate charges related to an act of physical violence.