WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police on Monday arrested an Oceanside, California, man outside the Washington headquarters of the Democratic National Committee on suspicion of possession of prohibited weapons.
Around midnight, an officer on patrol noticed a black Dodge Dakota pickup truck with a swastika and other white supremacist symbols outside of the DNC headquarters, according to Capitol Police. The truck had a picture of an American flag in place of a license plate.
Officers noticed a bayonet and machete, which are illegal in Washington, D.C., inside the truck and arrested the driver, Donald Craighead, 44, of Oceanside.
USCP Officers Arrest California Man with Bayonet & Machete: https://t.co/0mhsoOC8vX pic.twitter.com/9SR1NXsJV6
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) September 13, 2021
According to Capitol Police, Craighead said he was “on patrol” and began talking about “white supremacist ideology and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy.”
The arrest comes less than a week before a planned rally at the Capitol that some officials fear will become violent. In August, a man claiming to have a bomb shut down Capitol Hill for several hours before surrendering to authorities.
The arrest also comes eight months after thousands of protesters clashed with police during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Law enforcement officials still have not identified who placed pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters that day.
Capitol Police said in a statement “it is not clear if [Craighead] was planning to attend any upcoming demonstrations or if he has ties to any previous cases in the area.”
