Who is Christopher Ortiz? Man who said 'I'd storm the Capitol for you any day' claims he isn't a Trump supporter
Christopher Ortiz was identified by the FBI as one of the rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The 27-year-old was part of the insurrection and was arrested on Wednesday, January 27, at his parent's home in Huntington. Court papers revealed that witnesses had told officials that Ortiz has videos from the riot on his Instagram account.
According to reports, Ortiz has been charged with entering restricted grounds without lawful authority, disrupting government business and engaging in disorderly conduct. Ortiz was then released on a bond worth $60,000 and is set to appear in federal court on Monday, February 1.
Who is Christopher Ortiz?
Raised in Huntington, Long Island, New York, Christopher Ortiz took to his Instagram account — @chrispy0ats — to post a story that sees him entering the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Reports indicate that "at least" two people have revealed to authorities that Ortiz was heard yelling "Onward, Onward!" and "Yeah! We're at the door!" on video. Not to mention, documents also revealed screengrabs of messages that the accused had sent to one of FBI's witnesses.
The Daily Mail reported that Ortiz replied, "Participating in government," when he was asked what he was doing at the Capitol by the informant. He also said, "Lol they can come and get me; I didn't break or vandalize or steal; I walked through and out. I'd storm the Capitol for you any day."
On January 27 morning, Ortiz was arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force at his home where he reportedly lives with his parents. The article revealed that when Ortiz was leaving court and was photographed by the publication, he said that he did not support twice impeached ex-president Donald Trump.
News 12 revealed that the accused said, "I think the sensationalism around the violence at the riot isn't right. I don't think it was violent, I didn't vandalize, I didn't steal, I didn't break anything, I didn't burn anything. There on DC that day, I saw a group that represents about half of our entire country. And I feel like the division across this nation is reaching a high."
ONLY ON 12: Huntington man charged in Capitol riot says he isn't a Trump supporter, claims he attended to 'understand' people he doesn't align with and thinks 'sensationalism' surrounding the riot 'isn't right.'
— News12LI (@News12LI) January 28, 2021
MORE: https://t.co/RBErMI3pEC pic.twitter.com/r4d4xKc6mQ
"And the reason I put myself there ... I'm not somebody who walks around wearing a MAGA hat, I'm not that kind of person, understand? I wanted to understand what's going on with the people I don't really align with. I wanted to see what's happening. They marched towards the Capitol, I got caught up in that, it became a crazy thing," he added. While Ortiz was released on bond, he has been told by officials that he is not allowed to go to DC unless he has to appear in court, which he will be doing on February 1.
The 27-year-old who was allegedly said to have shared the video from Capitol riots on his Instagram account has now gone private on the photo-sharing app.