FBI Says Capitol Rioter Was Identified From Tattoo

A violent Capitol rioter was identified with the help of a large "KING JAMES" tattoo across his stomach, federal authorities say. James Allen McGrew was arrested in Arizona last week on suspicion of storming the building on Jan. 6 and assaulting officers, the Arizona Republic reports. Authorities say police body camera footage from inside the Capitol shows McGrew revealing the tattoo as he lifts his shirt to wipe his face. The same tattoo appeared in a 2012 booking photo. According to a federal complaint, McGrew faces eight charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer, and obstruction of an official proceeding. Two tipsters reported McGrew to the FBI after the riot.

According to the federal complaint, video shows McGrew screaming at officers and striking them, at one point trying to grab an officer's baton, as they tried to push rioters back inside the Capitol rotunda. Former federal prosecutor Lenese Herbert tells the Washington Post that authorities are trying to use numerous ways to identify rioters to build strong cases and counter misinformation about who was involved. "They’re preparing for war. They want these cases as airtight as possible," Herbert says. "They’re going to plop a huge, heavy folder on the desk and say, 'This is what we have.'" Earlier this week, authorities dropped a case against an alleged rioter for the first time. (Mike Pence addressed the riot in a speech Thursday.)