SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — New unsealed court documents are detailing how an Imperial Beach man allegedly stormed the U.S. Capitol during the deadly January 6th riot in 2021.
Joshua Kaleb Youngerman is facing five misdemeanor charges for his role in the riot prompted by former President Donald Trump, who encouraged his followers to come to Washington on January 6th.
Youngerman, who replied on Twitter to Trump, “I’ll be there with the Cali squad!” was caught on surveillance video using rope to hoist himself onto a wall leading to a stairway outside the Capitol building.
He tweeted advocating for an audit of the 2020 election results saying, “There is definitely election fraud going on.”
A sworn statement of facts filed by a special agent alleges Youngerman told a Telegram messaging group, “I'll be bringing a couple of knives and whatever other self-defense tools I can get my hands on."
Retired Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren reviewed the criminal complaint filed against Youngerman and said the charges are in line with many other Capitol breach cases.
She told ABC 10News the first two charges he faces carry a maximum punishment of one year in custody, and the other three charges have a maximum of six months.
"The charges against Mr. Youngerman are misdemeanors. There have been, in other cases, much more serious charges involving weapons or assaults, injuries to others, but he is not charged with any of those types of crimes."
Court documents filed by the FBI say Youngerman denied he entered the building during a January 2021 interview with special agents in San Diego.
Instead, he told the FBI he flew from San Diego to Washington D.C. on January 5th and met up with a friend. The two attended a rally by Trump and were hanging out near the Capitol building before returning to his hotel, he claimed.
But the FBI said open-source video and an agent were able to confirm Youngerman entered the U.S. Capitol building with the mob of angry Trump supporters.
He was wearing camouflage pants and carrying a flag that read “Black Voices for Trump.”
Surveillance video showed Youngerman and other Trump supporters go through the building’s upper west terrace door and then the Rotunda.
After the riot, Youngerman tweeted that he didn’t believe Trump was responsible for the violence that broke out that ended with multiple people dead.
“I am in full support of storming and occupying the Capitol from the inside out. That was the original intent for many. We came to claim back our house.”
Other local ties to the riot
A former Ocean Beach resident, as well as a Coronado man, were also present for the January 6th riot and have been sentenced for their roles.
And San Diego resident Ashli Babbitt was one of five people who died in the attack.
She was with the mob trying to break into the House of Representatives.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer fatally shot her when she tried climbing through a broken window.
Youngerman has been released on bond and must stay in San Diego County while his case makes its way through Federal Court. His attorney didn’t return a request for an interview.
