Iowa father, his son charged with storming Capitol during Jan. 6 riot

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The FBI on Friday arrested an Iowa man and his adult son after they discussed on social media their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, court records show.

Daryl Johnson, 50, of St. Ansgar, and Daniel Johnson, 29, of Austin, Minn., were arrested separately by agents Friday morning.

An FBI affidavit quotes Daniel Johnson as writing, “We stormed capitol hill” to a contact on Facebook on Jan. 6.

“lol Dad and I were one of the first ones inside,” his message said.

The two made initial appearances in federal courts in Iowa and Minnesota and were released from custody pending further proceedings in Washington, D.C. They are charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct, violent entry, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol.

Daryl Johnson declined to comment when reached by phone Monday in St. Ansgar, a town of 1,200 where his father, Norman Johnson, is a former mayor and well-known businessman.

Norman Johnson, who lost his reelection bid in 2019, also declined to comment on the arrests of his son and grandson. “I have plenty of thoughts, but I'm not going to share them,” he said.

Investigators said they received tips that the Johnsons had been involved in the days after supporters of former President Donald Trump violently broke into the Capitol to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

One tipster included a Snapchat video that Daniel Johnson had reportedly uploaded showing himself inside the Capitol during the riot. Another included a screenshot of a Facebook post that said: “I was one of the first ones inside the Capitol building.”

Daryl Johnson also wrote about the attack on Facebook, claiming the media narrative about what happened was wrong, according to the FBI. He claimed the protesters were peaceful until they were provoked by police throwing flash bangs and tear gas.

“I was there the media story is completely crap,” he wrote.

The FBI also found video from inside the Capitol showing the father and son walking through its halls together. A St. Ansgar police officer who is familiar with the family from Norman Johnson's time as mayor helped confirm Daryl Johnson's identity.

Daryl Johnson is at least the sixth resident of Iowa to be charged in the Jan. 6 riot.