Jan. 6 defendant nicknamed “Sedition Panda” convicted of assaulting law enforcement officer
Jesse James Rumson, the man who dressed in a panda costume as he took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, has been convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer, according to court documents.
Earlier this month, Rumson waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for bench trial. He was convicted on all eight counts by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols Friday for assaulting and resisting Prince George’s County Cpl. Scott Ainsworth and for broader disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds. Rumson is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
Government exhibit
After rioters broke a door in the Senate wing on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors said Rumson hopped over railings and was “among the first approximately twenty” to access the building through that entryway. Pictures from that day show Rumson, wearing a panda costume head and wielding a white flag that read, in part, “Don’t tread on me.” Charging papers said he was referred to as “#SeditionPanda” by some online communities.
has prosecuted more than 1,200 criminal cases in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol assault. Of those, more than 700 had pleaded guilty to various charges, and scores more have been convicted.
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Source: cbsnews.com