An Ohio man on Tuesday was charged with using a large custom-made “Trump” sign as a weapon during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to federal authorities.
Thousands of then-President Donald Trump supporters descended on the Capitol on that day of infamy in 2021 in an attempt to halt Congress from certifying Joe Biden‘s 2020 election victory. The riot erupted after the former president continued to claim, without evidence, that the election was “rigged” via widespread voter fraud but has since denied stoking the violence.
More than 1,500 people have been charged in the siege on the Capitol and Trump faces four federal felony counts over his activities surrounding the attack. The former president has pleaded not guilty and claims the federal case against him is politically motivated.
Jeffrey Newcomb, 41, of Polk, Ohio, was arrested on Tuesday, accused of bringing the sign—about 8 feet tall, 10 feet wide and mounted on wheels—that was used by Trump supporters as a battering ram against police officers during the mob assault at the Capitol, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.
Court documents say that Newcomb had boasted on social media about bringing the sign, which was constructed with a metal frame. In a now-deleted Twitter post, Newcomb reportedly wrote, “Went to Jan 6th to peacefully protest in the loudest way possible: With a 13 ft by 10 ft signs on custom made aluminum wagon. I spent $700 on this. Keeping my identity a secret because bullets are expensive.”
The message included photos of the sign in the crowd of Trump supporters that day and in one photo, the account’s user obscured his face with an emoji. The account linked to Newcomb on Twitter, now X, has since been deleted.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Newcomb faces felony charges of assaulting police officers and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. The FBI’s affidavit alleges that Newcomb, along with other rioters, pushed the sign toward police lines at the Capitol’s West Plaza.
Video footage also shows Newcomb moving the sign near Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally as other rioters helped him carry the sign into the mob on the Capitol’s West Plaza.
“Rioters cheered the sign’s arrival and many in the crowd helped pass the sign closer and closer to the police line,” the FBI agent wrote.
Although Newcomb released the sign just before it struck the police line, authorities say he actively pushed on the backs of other rioters to force the sign forward. The FBI agent’s affidavit describes how the sign’s sharp metal edges posed a serious danger to police officers, requiring over a dozen of them to remove it from the line.
“As the police were struck by the sign, they easily could have been knocked over due to the frame’s sheer size, and the sharp edges and corners were readily capable of causing slicing or splitting injuries,” the agent wrote. “It ultimately took over a dozen officers to fully move the sign away from the line.”
Several other Capitol riot defendants have also been charged with using the large Trump sign as a battering ram to assault officers and breach police lines outside the Capitol.
Newcomb’s arrest adds to the growing list of more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to the Capitol attack. More than 1,200 have either pleaded guilty or been convicted, with imprisonment sentences ranging from a few days to 22 years.
Newcomb was expected to make his initial court appearance on Tuesday in Ohio following his arrest.
This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.
