Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- A St. George man and his brother have been arrested and charged with assaulting law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
- The charges were announced by the U.S. attorney's office Friday and include obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder as well as several misdemeanors.
- Both men were captured on body camera footage engaging aggressively with officers, according to prosecutors.
SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday a Utah man and his brother have been arrested and charged with assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Christopher Jordan, 48, of St. George, and Earl Jordan, 50, of Dickens, Iowa, were charged in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, all felony charges.
The brothers also face misdemeanor charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
About 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, the brothers were present on U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, near the north scaffolding, "an area that became a flashpoint during the day's unrest," the U.S. attorney's office said in a release. The brothers were seen engaging with and confronting law enforcement officers in that area, according to court documents.
Body camera footage shows an officer brush past Earl Jordan, who in response throws his elbow at the officer and knocks him off balance, an arrest warrant states.
Metropolitan officers then attempted to clear him from the area to let other officers advance. At the same time, Christopher Jordan lunged toward a different officer, court documents say.
"Despite verbal commands from police to 'get back,' the brothers continued their aggressive behavior," the U.S. attorney's office said.
Body camera footage allegedly shows Earl Jordan swiping at an officer's face before lunging and grabbing the officer by the throat in a separate encounter. Christopher Jordan pushed another officer, grabbed onto the officer's baton and refused to let go until a different rioter pulled on his backpack, forcing him to let go, according to prosecutors.
Later that day, the brothers were involved in confrontations near the North Door of the Capitol where Earl Jordan threw a piece of metal fencing at the door as officers were trying to prevent rioters from entering the building, the arrest warrant states.
The U.S. attorney's office said there have been more than 1,500 people in nearly all 50 states charged with crimes relating to the breach of the Capitol in 2021. More than 500 of those individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
FBI agents arrested Christopher Jordan in St. George, and he will make his first court appearance in the federal court in Utah. His brother was arrested in Spencer, Iowa, and will make his appearance in the Northern District of Iowa.
