What did Jesse James Rumson do? ‘Sedition Panda’ arrested over January 6 Capitol riot

Jesse James Rumson was arrested by the FBI on Monday, February 27, 2023, after authorities identified him as the man who allegedly took part in the Capitol riot while wearing the head of a panda costume.

Dubbed the "Sedition Panda," Jesse James Rumson stands accused of entering the Capitol building while donning a panda headgear on January 6, 2021. According to an arrest affidavit, Rumson allegedly entered the building through a fire exit minutes after its doors were breached by hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump in a bid to stop congress from officially certifying Joe Biden’s presidency.

As per multiple reports, video footage captured Rumson wearing a panda headgear and entering the building as soon as a mob barrelled through the emergency exit doors. Rumson was then seen moving past the police officers attempting to stop the rioters from trespassing into the congressional building.

Authorities said that Rumson was identified after footage showed him exiting the building fifteen minutes later without the panda headgear.

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Jesse James Rumson was among the first rioters to enter the Capitol

An arrest affidavit for Jesse James Rumson stated that the suspect was the first among twenty rioters to enter the building after the emergency exit door was breached. The report stated that Rumson was captured on footage climbing the stairs to enter the Capitol through the Parliamentary Door.

Part of the report read:

“Around 2:40 pm EST, once other rioters had successfully broken open the Capitol’s Parliamentary Door on the Upper West Terrace, RUMSON can be seen running from the Senate Wing Door, hopping over railings, and climbing the stairs to enter the Capitol through the Parliamentary Door; he was among the first approximately twenty rioters to enter that door after it was breached.”

Fifteen minutes after entering the building, Rumson was seen leaving through the same emergency door without his headgear. The report further stated:

“At approximately 2:54 pm EST, RUMSON is captured on CCTV footage exiting the Capitol through the same door from which he entered, the Parliamentary Door, without the headpiece and with his hands behind his back."

As per NBC News, the arrest affidavit stated that after exiting the premises without the panda's head, Rumson was captured on video urging rioters to break through another door before assaulting an officer and grabbing the officer’s face shield.

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Why was Jesse James Rumson nicknamed 'Sedition Panda'?

As per the arrest affidavit, Jesse James Rumson was dubbed the 'Sedition Panda' by investigators due to his distinctive appearance, as he was captured on video wearing large headgear. The characterization helped investigators separate the suspect from thousands of others involved in the incident and provide a distinctive description for the public to help identify him. The arrest affidavit stated:

“Certain unknown individuals were given a nickname for the logical characterization of their video appearances.”

They added:

“The individual described above was given the hashtag name of ‘#SeditionPanda’ because, at times, the individual was seen in both open-source and other footage wearing a large headpiece that appeared to be from a panda costume.”

According to court records, Rumson will now face several charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.

As per NBC News, so far, 985 people have been arrested for their role in the capitol riot.