A father and son wearing identical Stars and Stripes “God’s Armor” patches and gas masks in the attack on the Capitol have been arrested on federal charges.
Defendants wore gas masks and one stole a police riot shield
Mississippi residents Tony Sheldon Bray, 46, and Ethan Bray, 25, were arrested Thursday. They face a variety of charges including obstructing law enforcement during a riot. Their actions and those of others disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to determine and count voters’ votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Tony Bray has also been charged with stealing government property. The defendants first appeared in court in the Northern District of Mississippi.
Brays was the first to confront police on the steps under the scaffolding leading from the West Plaza to the Lower West Terrace
According to court documents, the Brays were part of the first breach, breaking through a police cordon around 12:53 P.M. at Peace Circle, NW Pennsylvania Avenue, and NW First Street. They entered the Capitol at 2:22 p.m. They walked through the Senate’s double doors and into the basement where they were caught on surveillance camera footage in the Capitol wearing gas masks, officials said. The leak came after the House and Senate met in separate chambers of the Capitol to certify electoral college votes following the defeat of former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.