Grand jury upgrades charges for man seen chasing officer Eugene Goodman

A federal grand jury upgraded charges last week for a man who was seen chasing Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The grand jury returned an indictment last week charging Douglas Jensen of Iowa with seven offenses in connection with the riot, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon. Jensen is accused a bringing a knife to the Capitol. 

Jensen is also facing charges including assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and civil disorder.

Video posted to Twitter from inside the Capitol that day showed Goodman diverting rioters away from the doors of the Senate chamber as lawmakers were evacuating. 

In the video, Jensen is seen at the front of a mob and is wearing a QAnon T-shirt. The FBI said in an affidavit that he turned himself in to the Des Moines Police Department on Jan. 8 and said he wanted to talk to someone because he felt like he was in trouble.

Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber. pic.twitter.com/CfVIBsgywK

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

During the interview, Jensen “specifically admitted chasing the Capitol Police officer up the stairs, and that he refused to obey the officer’s lawful orders,” the agency wrote in an affidavit.

Jensen, who the FBI said adheres to the QAnon conspiracy theory, also said 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.’”

According to The Gazette, Jensen is still in custody and has a hearing on Feb. 23 in Washington.

Goodman has since been hailed a hero for his efforts to protect lawmakers and staff during the riots that led to five deaths.

Security video showed during former President Trump’s impeachment trial last week showed Goodman running toward Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and shouting orders at him. Romney quickly turns around and runs the other way.

The Senate passed a bill last Friday to award Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal for his actions.