Brothers from Iowa, Utah arrested for involvement in Jan. 6 riots

Oct. 4 (UPI) — Two brothers from Iowa and Utah were arrested for allegedly attacking police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Their actions disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.

Christopher Jordan, 48, of St. George, Utah, and Earl Jordan, 50, of Dickens, Iowa, are charged in a criminal complaint with assault, resisting or obstructing certain officers, and obstructing law enforcement during a disturbance in the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia said Ministry of Justice in a press release.

The brothers were also charged with misdemeanors of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, the release continued.

The FBI arrested Christoper Jordan in St. George, Utah, where he will make his first court appearance. Officers arrested Earl Jordan in Spencer, Iowa. He will make his first court appearance in the Northern District of Iowa.

The men, believed to be brothers, were seen on police bodycam footage on Jan. 6 near North Stand, an area that became a focal point of unrest, physically confronting police forces in the area .

“As MPD officers made their way through the crowd of rioters on Lower West Terrace, one officer allegedly ran past Earl Jordan,” the Justice Department news release said. “In response, Earl Jordan allegedly threw his elbow at the officer, knocking him off balance.”

Despite efforts to calm the situation and form a security line between the Capitol and the rioters, the Jordan brothers continued to confront police.

Later in the day, video showed Earl Jordan picking up a piece of sheet metal fencing and throwing it toward the north door of the Capitol and into the fray as police officers tried to calm the situation.

“Despite police verbal requests to “get back,” the brothers continued their aggressive behavior, federal prosecutors said.

Earl Jordan was reportedly filmed wiping at a police officer's face before grabbing him by the throat in another confrontation. “At the same time, Christopher Jordan assaulted another police officer, pushing him and attempting to take his baton,” the Justice Department said.

The video showed the brothers on the Capitol grounds into the evening.

More than 1,500 people nationwide have been charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 with assault or hindering law enforcement, which is a felony. The investigation is still ongoing, the Justice Department said.