An actor known for his roles in the comedy TV shows “Bob’s Burgers” and “Mr. Show with Bob and David” was arrested Wednesday on charges of joining a crowd of Donald Trump supporters in confronting police officers during the US Capitol riot.Court records show.
Jay Johnston, 54, of Los Angeles, was arrested on charges including civil disorder and a felony. A federal magistrate judge agreed to release Johnston on $25,000 bail after his initial court appearance in California. The defense attorney who represented him at the hearing declined to comment.
Video footage captured Johnston pushing against police and aiding rioters who attacked officers guarding the entrance to the Capitol building in a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace, According to an affidavit from the FBI agent. The affidavit says Johnston held a stolen policeman’s shield over his head and passed it to other rioters during the attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
The agent wrote that Johnston “was close to the entrance to the tunnel, turned back and signaled the other troublemakers to advance towards the entrance”.
Johnston was the voice of the character Jimmy Pesto on Fox’s Bob’s Burgers. The Daily Beast reported In December 2021, Johnston was “banned” from showing cartoons after the January 6 attack.
Johnston appeared on “Mr. Show with Bob and David”, an HBO sitcom starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. His credits also include small parts in the TV show ‘Arrested Development’ and in the movie ‘Anchorman’ starring Will Ferrell.
United Airlines records show Johnston booked a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., departing Jan. 4, 2021, and returning a day after the riot, according to the FBI. Thousands of people stormed the Capitol on January 6 after attending President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally.
As the mob attacked police in the tunnel with pepper spray and other weapons, Johnston helped other rioters near the tunnel pour water on their faces and then joined in pushing against the line of officers, the FBI says.
“The rioters coordinated the timing of the push by shouting ‘Come on! Ho!’”
According to the agent, three of Johnston’s current or former associates have identified him as a suspect in the riot from photos the FBI posted online. The FBI said one of those aides provided investigators with a text message in which Johnston admitted to being at the Capitol on January 6.
The news portrayed it as offensive. Actually it was not. I think it kind of turned out to be a mess. According to the FBI, “I was exposed to tear gas and fuses and found them completely unfamiliar,” Johnston wrote.
More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes at the Capitol on Jan. 6. More than 500 of them have been sentenced, and more than half have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven days to 18 years. According to an Associated Press review of court records.
___Journalist Christa Fauria of the Associated Press in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
