3 cousins from central Indiana charged in US Capitol riot
NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WISH) — Three cousins were arrested Thursday morning and set to be formally charged in a federal court with misdemeanors for their part in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Eric Cantrell, of Greenwood, and Jared Cantrell and Quentin Cantrell, both of Indianapolis, are charged with entering the U.S. Capitol, disorderly and disruptive conduct, and demonstrating in the restricted building, according to court documents. The Cantrells had not previously been mentioned as people being sought by the FBI.
Tipsters helped the FBI find photos on Jared Cantrell’s Instagram account of him at Stop the Steal Rally near the Washington Monument and later inside the Capitol Rotunda during the riot, the documents said.
In a separate Facebook post, Jared Cantrell said, “I was one of the first 50 in” and “Forceful entrance.”
The next day on Facebook, he wrote, “I do not think I broke any laws. I have not been to the capitol before and was a big reason I went in the first place. I didn’t go over any barricades or push through any police. They were letting folks in and at no point was there any verbal Indication (sic.) from any authorities not to go in. The door was open and I peeked in. I assume that if you took something, broker (sic.) something, or went further into the building where you may have had to breach some barrier, that would be prosecuted. If it was illegal, it didn’t seem like it.”
The Cantrells were identified in other video federal investigators got from the Jan. 6 riot, and the court documents shared images from the videos.
Some video showed Quentin Cantrell and Eric Cantrell attempting to climb the wall on the West Terrace of the Capitol.
Closed-circuit video from the Capitol cameras showed all three entering the Capitol, walking through a hallway and standing in the Rotunda.
The Cantrells were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in the U.S. District Court in New Albany.
Reports have estimated more than 2,000 people entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and occupied it for several hours in an effort to overturn President Donald Trump’s reelection loss as lawmakers voted to certify the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden. Five people died as a result of the riot.
