A Texas man was arrested last week after telling a Bumble match of his participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents.
Andrew Quentin Taake, 32, of Houston, is accused of pepper-spraying and assaulting police officers who were trying to prevent rioters from entering the building, federal authorities said. Taake is charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, obstruction of an official proceeding, among other charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The FBI received a tip about Taake’s participation in the riot from a tip provided by someone he matched with on the dating app, according to a criminal complaint filed July 23. Screenshots of the conversation show Taake sharing pictures of him at the riot, captioned “About 30 minutes after being sprayed,” the document said.
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The FBI followed up on the tip by pulling records of Taake’s travel plans that show that he departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas to Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Maryland on Jan. 5, according to the criminal complaint. He returned to Houston through the same airports on Jan. 8, right after the insurrection, the complaint added.
The FBI also found publicly posted photos and videos of Taake at the U.S. Capitol that day with a whip-like weapon in his hand, the court document said. Footage from body-worn cameras by the Metropolitan Police Department showed Taake using pepper spray and the metal whip against police, according to the criminal complaint.
After tracking down a FedEx driver who delivered a package to Taake’s home, the FBI brought photos of Taake to the driver, the document said. The driver was able to identify him.
Taake is the second suspect from the U.S. Capitol after a Bumble match alerted authorities. Robert Chapman of New York was arrested and charged in April after his potential love interest reported a photo he shared of him boasting about being a part of the riot.
The criminal complaint showed similar screenshots from Bumble. “I did storm the capitol,” Chapman messaged his match. “I made it all the way into Statuary Hall!”
“We are not a match,” the Bumble match, whose name was not shared, replied.
In the six months since the insurrection, more than 535 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the riot, according to the Justice Department.. Over 165 of the 535 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, the department said.
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