FL Man AKA ‘Sedition Panda’ Charged In Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Breach: DOJ

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Florida man dubbed “Sedition Panda” because he wore a panda costume head during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach faces charges related to the insurrection, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Jesse James Rumson, 37, of Lecanto was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement officer; obstruction of law enforcement during an official proceeding; and engaging in physical violence.

Because he wore a panda headpiece during the insurrection, the hashtag #SeditionPanda was frequently used when pictures taken of Rumson at the Capitol building that day were shared on social media, according to his arrest affidavit.

Rumson was part of a mob that illegally massed on the upper west terrace near the Senate wing door at the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2001, and was seen with and without the panda head in images from the day, according to the DOJ.

Around 2:40 p.m., once rioters broke through the Capitol’s parliamentary door, he was seen wearing the panda mask while running from the Senate wing door, the agency said. He then jumped the railing to climb the stairs leading to the parliamentary door and was seen entering the Capitol building and walking inside its halls.

Related: 2 FL Oath Keepers Convicted In Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Attack: Report

Later, he was seen exiting through the parliamentary door in handcuffs without his panda headpiece. He was also seen in the crowd that surrounded the Senate wing door when it was breached for a second time and was heard shouting, “Get a ram,” according to the DOJ.

Around 4:20 p.m., Rumson approached a line of police officers that formed on the Upper West Terrace and grabbed an officer’s face shield, forcing his head and neck back and upwards.