Polk County Jail/Metropolitan Police Douglas Austin Jensen.
Doug Jensen is the Iowa man facing federal charges for his role in the Capitol riot on January 6. Jensen was identified as the man who was recorded chasing a police officer up a flight of stairs inside the Capitol building as the mob of protesters followed behind him.
The Metropolitan Police shared a series of photos from inside the Capitol and asked the public for help identifying those involved in the chaos. Jensen reposted one of the photos he appeared in and wrote on Twitter, “You like my shirt?” Jensen’s now-former employer in Des Moines also confirmed his identity to KCCI-TV, adding that Jensen was fired on January 8.
Jensen has been arrested and was booked into the Polk County Jail, the Associated Press reported. The federal indictment is available here.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Doug Jensen Ignored Orders From the Police Officer to ‘Back Up’ as He Led a Group of Protesters & Later Told Investigators He Had Wanted His ‘Q’ Shirt Seen on Video
Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber.
Huffington Post political reporter Igor Bobic was among the reporters at the Capitol who documented the chaos that ensued as protesters overran police and marched inside the building. One of the videos showed the man later identified as Jensen leading a crowd up a flight of interior stairs. Jensen was the man wearing a sweatshirt with a QAnon T-shirt over top of it, along with a stocking cap on his head.
Bobic captioned the video, “Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber.” The clip has been viewed more than ten million times.
The clip starts with Bobic heading down the stairs to see what was happening below. The police officer, Eugene Goodman, was standing inside the door and demanding the mob of people to back up. But the crowd, led by Jensen, ignores the order and surges forward. The officer picks up what looks like a baton and repeats his demand that the group back up, but they do not listen and keep moving toward the stairs. As Goodman runs up the stairs to the second floor, Jensen appears to chase after him. It’s unclear what Jensen says to Goodman due to the multitude of voices calling over each other in the video.
When they reach the second floor, Goodman again tells Jensen to back up and lightly pushes Jensen’s right shoulder. But the crowd keeps moving and the clip ends with several other officers arriving to confront the mob. Someone in the crowd is heard exclaiming “We’re here” and “This is our America.”
According to prosecutors, Jensen admitted that he was the person in the video during an interview with the Des Moines Police Department and an FBI agent. The statement of facts published online by the Justice Department includes the following details:
Jensen specifically admitted chasing the Capitol Police officer up the stairs, and that he refused to obey the officer’s lawful orders. JENSEN stated that he intentionally positioned himself to be among the first people inside the United States Capitol because he was wearing his “Q” t-shirt and he wanted to have his t-shirt seen on video so that “Q” could “get the credit.
2. Jensen Identified Himself on His Own Twitter Account
Metropolitan Police Department of D.C.Doug Jensen faces federal charges for his accused role in the Capitol riot on January 6.
Jensen made no effort to conceal his identity following the Capitol riot. Police in Washington, D.C. posted photos of those from inside the Capitol and described them as “persons of interest in unrest-related offenses.” The Metropolitan Police offered rewards of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who participated in storming the Capitol.
Twitter/@DAJeeperDoug Austin Jensen identified himself in photos the police shared from the Capitol.
The document included at least two photos of Jensen, taken while he stood in the same spot but from different angles. Jensen shared one of the photos twice on his Twitter account in replies to others on January 7. In one tweet, Jensen responded to an account that has since been suspended by writing “Me…” alongside the photo distributed by police. About 90 minutes later, he replied to two other friends, “You like my shirt?”
Other Twitter users tagged the FBI in response to Jensen’s tweets, with a few sarcastically thanking Jensen for identifying himself for law enforcement.
In the weeks leading up to the rally in D.C., Jensen tweeted support for President Trump and the QAnon conspiracy. He wrote on November 12, “I’m ready for 4 more years!!! I will do whatever it takes.” The day before, Jensen tweeted “WWG1WGA,” which according to CBS News, is a QAnon rallying cry that stands for “where we go one, we go all.”
On December 26, Jensen replied to Trump and wrote, “We are ready. I have tried to prepare all my close friends and family.”
Twitter/@DAJeeperDoug Jensen was arrested for his role in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Twitter/@DAJeeperDoug Jensen was arrested for his role in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Twitter/@DAJeeperDoug Jensen was arrested for his role in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
3. Jensen Faces Several Federal Charges Including Violent Entry & Obstructing a Law Enforcement Officer
VinelinkDoug Jensen was arrested after the Capitol riot.
The Des Moines Police Department assisted the FBI when they arrested Jensen at his home on January 8, the Associated Press reported. The Des Moines Register, citing Sgt. Ryan Evans, reported Jensen was booked into the Polk County Jail around 1 a.m. on January 9.
Jensen’s name does not come up in a search of the Polk County Jail because, as the sheriff’s office explains on its website, “Inmates with Federal charges are not listed.” But Jensen’s name and mugshot does come up on Vinelink, a national database of current inmates.
Justice DepartmentDoug Jensen faces 5 charges related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020.
Jensen faces five federal charges, according to the criminal complaint published online by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia:
- Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
- Disrupting the orderly conduct of government business
- Violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
- Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building
- Obstructing a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder
4. Jensen Was Fired From His Job at a Masonry Company
Jensen lost his job two days after the Capitol riot. He used to work as a laborer at Forrest & Associate Masonry in Des Moines.
Company president Richard Felice told KCCI-TV that Jensen had been an employee for a few years but that the company decided to terminate his position following his actions in Washington, D.C. Felice told the outlet that Forrest & Associate Masonry did not support Jensen’s decisions on January 6 and decided to fire him after Jensen was identified from photos.
The TV station tried to contact Jensen via Facebook before his arrest. A reporter requested an interview but Jensen responded, “You are fake news,” according to a screenshot of the Facebook message.
5. His Brother Insists Jensen Did Not Break Into the Capitol But Had Been Allowed to Enter
Jensen’s older brother, William Routh, spoke with the Associated Press about Jensen’s participation on January 6. Routh told the news agency that his brother insists he did not force his way inside the Capitol. According to Routh, Jensen said he was allowed to walk in “and then shown around, even posing for pictures with officers.”
Routh told the AP that Jensen had expressed concern for the future of the United States if President Trump lost re-election. “He has been a good man his whole life. He is a family man. But he is like the rest of a lot of people that are patriots,” Routh said. “We have been being told for the last seven, eight months that if the Democrats get control we are losing our country. OK. That scares a lot of people.”
Routh is married and according to his wife’s Facebook page, they have two children. A search of online records shows Jensen and his wife bought their house in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2004.
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