Tambourine Helped ID Retired NYPD Cop In Capitol Riot: Feds

NEW YORK CITY — Amid all the chaos and violence during the Jan. 6 insurrection, a woman stood in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda shaking a tambourine.

That noisy instrument, coupled with videos from the riot, later helped authorities identify the woman: Sara Carpenter, 51, of Richmond Hill, Queens, according to court documents.

Carpenter — who authorities said is a retired NYPD cop — later told authorities she marched on the Capitol after a speech by President Donald Trump.

She faces misdemeanor charges from the incident.

"Carpenter also voluntarily provided the tambourine she confirmed that she carried inside the Capitol, which appears to be the same type carried by the woman in the video of the Capitol Rotunda," court documents state.

Several New York City dwellers have been charged in connection to the Capitol riot, in which a pro-Trump mob violently stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election win.

The list includes a Queens Republican district leader, the fur-clad son of a Brooklyn judge and another retired NYPD officer.

FBI agents are currently engaged in a massive investigation to identify people who were part of the riot — many of whom could face sedition charges, the New York Times reported.

Investigators quickly identified Carpenter after receiving an anonymous tip on Jan. 7, according to court documents. The tipster said Carpenter stormed the Capitol, was tear gassed and drove home to New York that day, the documents state.

Within days, investigators interviewed Carpenter, who confirmed she went to a Washington, D.C., rally point "where President Donald J. Trump’s Twitter page had instructed all supporters to meet to hear about the election fraud," according to documents.

"Carpenter stated that at the rally point, she heard President Trump’s words on the jumbo televisions and speakers instructing people to rally back, not leave, and march to the Capitol," documents state.

Carpenter ended up walking with a large group of people to the Capitol, where she entered the building, took video and saw people walking around and leaving with items, according to documents.

"Carpenter told FBI agents that she observed police yelling for individuals to get out, then pushing and shoving the crowd," documents state. "Carpenter stated she was trampled and pepper sprayed as she exited the Capitol building."

Authorities arrested Carpenter on Tuesday morning. She's expected to make a court appearance in Brooklyn's Southern District of New York federal court.

She faces charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.