Alleged Capitol rioter from Bayville arrested and charged

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Federal prosecutors have arrested a Bayville man for his part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Gabriel Morgan Brown, 37, was charged with destruction or injury to buildings or property and committing an act of violence on the Capitol grounds.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified Brown as perpetrating offenses in videos that he recorded himself and posted to social media. In portions of the footage, he is seen kicking and stomping equipment belonging to media outlets as he encourages others to join him and steal the equipment. Brown can be heard saying, “Take a souvenir," and later, “Anything good in there? Yeah, smash that [expletive].”

Zvonimir Joseph Jurlina, 31, of Bethpage, was charged with the same offenses, though it is unclear whether he knew Brown.

Some Bayville residents said they have seen Brown around the community wearing a camouflage jacket and hat, and on Memorial Day he sells miniature flags.

“I don’t know him personally but have seen him, and he has always been an odd person. Different,” Bayville Mayor Bob De Natale said. “Does it surprise me that he was photographed at the Capitol? No.”

Numerous attacks on members of the news media were documented Jan. 6. Many were harassed, threatened, robbed and assaulted because they were journalists. Additionally, several news organizations had their equipment stolen, damaged and/or destroyed.

Former President Donald Trump urged his supporters for weeks to go to Washington to stop the certification of the election results, which was to take place  on Jan. 6, because Trump said he did not, and still does not, believe that he lost.

Thousands of people arrived in Washington Jan. 6. Waving Trump and Confederate flags, they showed their support for the former president at a rally that Trump led.  

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,” Trump told the crowd. “We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”

Invigorated, the protesters marched to the Capitol. Some became violent and overwhelmed law enforcement, as they pushed past police barricades. And they were able to temporarily stop Congress from counting electoral votes. When it was over, five people had died of their injuries.

When asked about that day, former Bayville mayor Doug Watson said what he saw was not an insurrection. The videos show people who were upset on the steps of the Capitol, he said. But he added that he does not support what Brown did.

“I’m a Trump guy,” Watson said. “But I’m not out breaking anything. I have no sympathy for people breaking things.”

Richard Walka, of Bayville, said it is unfortunate that the country is so divided. He did not know that Brown had been arrested.

“It’s disturbing that he lives in Bayville,” Walka said. “Bayville is a quiet, seaside community. I would never be involved in anything like what happened at the Capitol. There are a lot of extreme people out there.”

Christine Oddo, who also lives in Bayville, said she had seen Brown around town but did not know him.

“It makes me fearful to have someone that radical in our community,” she said. “People are entitled to their opinions, of course. I always got the sense that he was a radical guy.”

Brown and Jurlina, the complaints say, were on the northeast side of the Capitol at a media staging area when they tried to destroy the media equipment.

Video shows Brown later using a bullhorn. "You stole the Senate from us, you stole the House from us, and now you think you’re going to steal the presidency from us?” he said. “Let me tell you something — you want to take peaceful revolution away from us? Well, you better prepare for [expletive] violent revolution. I don’t want violence. I believe in peaceful resolve. But you’re making it [expletive] impossible for us."