WASHINGTON — Federal charges were unsealed Tuesday against a Georgia man accused of throwing a large plank of wood at officers defending an entrance to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Multiple charges, including felony counts of obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting police with a dangerous weapon, were filed last month against Jacob Davis, of Adairsville, Georgia. Davis was arrested on a warrant last week and his case was unsealed in D.C. District Court on Tuesday.
According to charging documents, Davis, seen wearing a Trump beanie and a “Space Force” sweatshirt, climbed the northwest steps of the Capitol with a companion on Jan. 6 and then made his way to the entrance of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel – where a pitched battle was taking place between police attempting to hold a line and rioters trying to force their way inside.
Investigators say Davis can be seen picking up a fallen DC Police riot shield and handing it off to another rioter before participating in a heave-ho effort with other members of the mob in an attempt to force their way past police. It was one such heave-ho that crushed DC Police Officer Daniel Hodges in a doorframe inside the tunnel.
Davis allegedly then exited the tunnel and picked up a long wooden board. According to investigators, publicly available video shows Davis hurling the board toward the line of police, where it struck officers in the head. Davis then allegedly returning to attempting to push past officers’ riot shields.
Davis made his initial appearance via Zoom on Tuesday before Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui and was granted release on personal recognizance. He was ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 19.
As of Oct. 6, nearly 1,200 people have now been charged in connection with the Capitol riot, including more than 400 individuals accused of assaulting, resisting or impeding police. Nearly 800 people have now pleaded guilty to or been convicted of crimes related to the riot.