GLENDALE, Ariz. — An Arizona man currently serving a 7.5-year sentence for driving while drunk and hitting a woman who later had her leg amputated because of the crash is now also facing charges for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Jason Tasker, 43, of Glendale is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges for his alleged conduct on January 6, 2021, at the Capitol. He was arrested in Arizona on July 30, according to a news release from the United States Attorney's Office.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Arrestan a un hombre de Arizona por presuntamente estar involucrado en la insurrección del Capitolio del 6 de enero
Tasker's warrant was served in Eloy, Arizona, just a short distance from the Arizona State Prison Complex where he is currently serving a 7.5-year sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon stemming from a DUI crash on Memorial Day weekend 2021 that cost a woman her leg.
Court documents related to the arrest of Jason Tasker's alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection included photos of Tasker.
Tasker attended the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington D.C. and afterward went to the Capitol, court documents state. He then followed United States Capitol Police officers around the Capitol building, allegedly yelling "all of you are dismissed; go home!"
Tasker was allegedly among those who forced their way into the Capitol and he "flung himself" toward police officers and "lunged" at them as well. Court documents say pepper spray was used after the second time Tasker lunged at officers.
At 2:43 p.m., Tasker was allegedly part of a group that entered the Capitol and took pictures with his cell phone in the Rotunda.
After he left the building, court documents state that he remained on the Capitol stairs and made a phone call.
"I was like the first person in, Momma," a third-party video caught Tasker saying.
He allegedly remained in front of the Capitol for over an hour and continued to confront police.
The FBI was first alerted to Tasker’s possible involvement in the riot in late January 2021, when the agency received a tip that Tasker’s mother had been showing her friends images he’d taken inside the Capitol.
In May of that year, FBI agents spoke to an acquaintance of Tasker’s, who said Tasker had shown them selfies he’d taken inside the Capitol and told them the trip to D.C. was a Christmas gift from his mother.
Just a few months after his alleged involvement in the Capitol insurrection, Tasker was driving in Glendale and hit Kimberly Pero, who was riding her motorcycle on Memorial Day weekend with her husband.
Pero's leg had to amputated because of the severe damage from the crash. When Tasker was arrested and police tested his blood alcohol content, it came back as 0.155 and 0.157 BAC, both nearly twice above the legal limit.
He was sentenced to 7.5 years behind bars in May of 2023 after he pled guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Tasker's involvement in the Capitol insurrection is being investigated by the FBI's Phoenix and Washington Field Offices, and the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided assistance.
According to the United States Attorney's Office, "in the 42 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,470 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 530 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing."
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