It might sound funny at first, but this seemingly innocuous “instrument” is an ingenious melee weapon...
The Washington Post
[…] Tuesday, retired veteran New York Police Department officer Sara Carpenter surrendered to authorities and was released on personal recognizance to face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges after she was allegedly seen in the U.S. Capitol carrying a tambourine. Carpenter, 51, retired from the department in 2004 after serving 20 (10) years, including in its public relations branch, a person familiar with her career said. A department spokesman said in a statement it “worked closely with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force culminating” in Carpenter’s arrest.
An attorney for Carpenter declined to comment when reached Tuesday.
Make some noise at the rally in the morning, then shake it in the face of democracy in the afternoon...
Associated Press
Sara Carpenter, a retired police officer who lives in Queens, drove to Washington the night before the deadly siege and took video as the chaos unfolded inside the Capitol Rotunda, the FBI said in court filings.
Surveillance footage showed her shaking a tambourine that agents later recovered during a search of her residence.
She told the FBI she was “trampled and pepper-sprayed as she exited the Capitol building,” according to court filings, and drove back to New York hours after the riot.
Carpenter, 51, was charged in U.S. District Court with misdemeanor counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority.
Big h/t to siab in the comments for the link to the video…
The FBI Statement of Facts can be read in full here…
CNBC
Before she exited the Rotunda, Carpenter is seen on video turning “back to the room and raises [her] hands in the air,” the filing said.
“In her left hand she holds a tambourine, which she shakes several times before turning back around and exiting the Rotunda,” the filing said.
A March 2 search of Carpenter’s home found the items of clothing she was wearing at the Capitol that day, as well as the backpack, the filing said.
“Carpenter also voluntarily provided the tambourine she confirmed she carried inside the Capitol,” the filing said.
I’m a little sorry she got trampled and pepper sprayed… Only just a little.
Law & Crime
“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,” the complaint stated. “Carpenter stated that she entered the Rotunda of the Capitol, where she observed other individuals walking around and leaving with items. Carpenter told FBI agents that she observed police yelling for individuals to get out, then pushing and shoving the crowd. Carpenter stated she was trampled and pepper sprayed as she exited the Capitol building.”
Clips of Carpenter participating in the insurrection went viral after footage appeared to show her celebrating inside the Capitol while spinning around and playing a tambourine.
(snip)
The FBI caught wind of Carpenter’s participation in the insurrection on Jan. 7 when an anonymous tip was submitted to the FBI stating that Carpenter had told a family member that she was teargassed while inside the Capitol.
She is scheduled to make her initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn Federal Court, though her case will ultimately be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.
The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance in identifying individuals who participated in unlawful conduct during the Capitol Insurrection.
If you have information about geniuses with a flair for Insurrection accessories who participated in the Capitol Riot on January 6th, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or leave a tip online. You may also submit relevant photos and videos to the FBI here.