An Arizona man was apprehended on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, facing both felony and misdemeanor counts for his alleged involvement in interrupting the certification process of the 2020 presidential election results. Jason Robert Tasker, 43, of Glendale, Arizona, was arrested and has been accused of assaulting officers with a deadly weapon and obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder, amongst other accusations, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.
Tasker's charges include felonies for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, and he's also facing misdemeanors for entering a restricted building and engaging in disorderly conduct; his initial court appearance has been scheduled in the District of Arizona following his arrest on July 30. The disruption caused on that fateful January day by him and others at the Capitol has led to, over 42 months, more than 1,470 individuals being charged for crimes in nearly all 50 states, and over 530 of these individuals being accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
Investigative documents detail Tasker's participation in the "Stop the Steal" rally and subsequent advance toward the Capitol, where he aided in dismantling barriers and later confronted United States Capitol Police officers on multiple fronts. After traversing from the west to the east side of the Capitol, he allegedly engaged directly with the officers, attempting to breach entryways and was sprayed with OC by the officers after a forceful altercation, the U.S. Department of Justice statement detailed.
Within the Capitol, Tasker purportedly moved from the East Foyer to the Rotunda; taking pictures and confronting police lines attempting to dispel the mob of rioters, this series of events per the allegations saw Tasker remain in the building until 3:13 p.m., after which he continued to confront police outdoors. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia in concert with the DOJ's Counterterrorism Section is overseeing his prosecution, the FBI's Phoenix and Washington Field Offices lead the investigation, with additional support being provided by U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
