Capitol riot riot participant arrested thanks to conversation with Uber driver, court records show

The FBI arrested a Jan. 6 riot participant in part due to a conversation he had with his Uber driver the night of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to court records released Tuesday.

On January 6, a supporter of Donald Trump hopped into the back of an Uber in downtown D.C., about a mile northwest of the U.S. Capitol.

It was about an hour after the curfew imposed by D.C. s mayor, and the riot participant had an obvious injury to his eye. The Uber driver, who had a camera mounted in his car that recorded the ride and turned over to the police subsequently, struck up a conversation about the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Has it been violent all day? The driver asked.

It started around, right when I got there. The man replied that I tore down the barricades.

The man replied, "Well, because, so we could get to the Capitol."

The driver asked for a driver's name.

He replied, it looks like, uh, Biden is going to be our president. Fifteen months later, the FBI said that the passenger was Jerry Daniel Braun, who is now facing federal charges.

Braun was arrested earlier this month by the FBI in California, facing charges of obstruction during civil disorder, entering and remaining on restricted grounds, and violent or disorderly conduct.

Braun's Uber driver tipped off the FBI right after the Capitol attack, and was interviewed by a special agent in January and February of 2021, according to an FBI affidavit that was unveiled Tuesday. The FBI said the driver provided the footage captured by their dashcam. Uber didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.

Braun's Uber driver took him across the river to a Holiday Inn in Arlington, Virginia, where Braun was checked in under the name J.D. According to the court filing, Braun was in the process of getting a job.

While the FBI affidavit doesn't state it outright, online sleuths played a significant role in the case against Braun. NBC News learned that Braun was identified by members of a group of online sleuths early last year. The group has successfully identified hundreds of additional Capitol rioters who have not been arrested by the FBI. Nearly 800 defendants have been charged with the Capitol attack, and more than 250 have pleaded guilty. The total number of individuals who entered the Capitol on January 6 or assaulted law enforcement outside tops was 2,500. The FBI affidavit in Braun's case mentions that the bureau reviewed images that showed a business card poking out of Braun's pocket. It had a web address for ShotGunShock and asked for JD. Sleuths made the identification more than a year ago, in March 2021.

The FBI affidavit shows that Braun was physically struggling with law enforcement offices using a barricade. Braun was also seen using a wooden plank to strike a photographer wearing a PRESS helmet, according to the affidavit.

In November 2021, the FBI served a search warrant of Braun's residence in South El Monte, California, and Braun admitted he'd been in D.C. for the Capitol attack.

After being asked by the agents if BRAUN had anything he wanted to tell them before he left the search location, BRAUN responded, ''Guilty, the FBI affidavit stated. When asked what he was guilty of, BRAUN responded, ''Everything. The FBI said it seized Braun's cell phone and found a selfie picture showing his eye injury, which he called a Souvenir from DC. In a message on Jan. 11, Braun told someone that he Occupied the capitol and described hand to hand combat, according to the affidavit.

In a Jan. 6 message from Braun's phone, the FBI affidavit said he described his intentions. We tried to stop the steal but they wouldn't let us in, he wrote. We are sick of all the talk.