AUSTIN, Texas — A man accused of destroying media and participating in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has been arrested in the Austin area.
Court records indicate Zvonimir Joseph Jurlina was arrested on Monday and charged with destruction of property in special maritime and territorial jurisdiction and aiding and abetting, in addition to acts of physical violence on grounds.
According to an arrest affidavit, the incident occurred outside the northeast corner of the Capitol as individuals began breaking through the barricades surrounding a media staging area. Members of the media were forced to flee as the crowd began destroying equipment such as cameras, tripods and lights, causing thousands of dollars in damages.
The FBI posted photos of this particular incident online on Feb. 4. One man in the photos, who was also captured in several other photos and videos posted online, was identified as Jurlina.
Officials said Jurlina was seen kicking and stomping on media equipment, as well as attempting to set fire to a pile of destroyed equipment. The affidavit also states that he encouraged the crowd to steal some of the equipment, and he reportedly took a cordless microphone as a souvenir.
In addition, officials said Jurlina live-streamed events at the Capitol that day himself. This video was posted as part of a 12-part video series posted on YouTube. In one of those videos, officials said Jurlina turns the camera on himself and he is seen wearing a Donald Trump toboggan and holding the microphone in question while stating, "This is the real news media network. We have taken over. This is mother f------ America first. This is how we do it. No more f------ around."
Officials used records such as an email address, an IP address and phone records tied to the videos Jurlina is seen in to track him down.
The court records do not indicate his ties to the Austin area.
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