Evan J. LancasterA man identified as Matthew Thomas Purse, a resident of Irvine, was arrested on Friday, July 9, for his alleged involvement in the Capitol riot on January 6.
Purse’s arrest is the first Irvine-based case to be filed under Capitol Case Breaches with the United States Attorney’s Office District of Columbia.
Purse, a known resident of Irvine since April, was named several times in a criminal complaint regarding his potential involvement in the Capitol riots, which was obtained by Irvine Weekly.
Issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the complaint lists at least four violations including disorderly conduct in a capitol building against Purse.
The complaint also indicates that American Airlines records show that Purse travelled to Washington, D.C. from California on January 5, and returned to California on January 8.
The background analysis, which was conducted by Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles Field Office’s Long Beach Resident Agency Joint Terrorism Task Force, found that AT&T cellphone records matching a number associated to Purse were pinging a tower near the Capitol Riot on January 6.
Additionally, within the complaint’s statement of facts, Purse was also seen in photographs and video found on social media, wearing a black tactical “Press” vest.
However, the federal complaint states that Purse, at one point, “seems to admit he is not with press,” as he was seen in a now deleted Twitch livestream stating, “mission accomplished, we broke into the Capitol.”
The report also indicates that subsequent to the events on January 6, an investigation into Purse’s employment revealed a lack of any type of official press credentials, nor an employment history in media.
The affidavit also ties Purse to cellphone records that are listed to a Irvine-based business known as Disruptive Technologies LLC.
This is a developing story.
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