Two men from El Paso County were arrested on felony charges related to the Jan. 6 riots after federal authorities say they obstructed Congress’ proceeding to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Eric Zeis, 37, of Monument, and Justin Schulze, 31, of Colorado Springs, were arrested Monday and face several felony and misdemeanor charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Zeis and Schulze drove together from Colorado to Washington to attend former president Donald Trump’s speech and “Stop the Steal” rally Jan. 6, according to a federal complaint. After the rally, both made their way to the east side of the Capitol building and joined a mob who banged on glass windows, pushed against police officers and breached the building.
Video footage shows the duo pushing a group of police officers while they walked through the building, where they stayed for about 40 minutes, the complaint stated. They were also captured standing outside the U.S. House of Representatives’ chamber doors where rioters chanted, “Break it down!”
Two tipsters, who had known the men for several years, helped federal investigators identify Zeis and Schulze from their clothing and voices captured in video footage from inside the building. Zeis is heard saying, “Well we made it this far, what do ya say?”
Zeis was wearing a black jacket with the hood pulled up and sunglasses, and Schulze was wearing a red Hawaiian-style shirt with a jean jacket with a fur collar and a gray hat, documents stated.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,200 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. At least 19 people from Colorado have been charged.
Authorities continue to investigate and anyone with tips can visit tips.fbi.gov.