This morning the United States Capitol Police arrested a California man who had multiple knives in his truck near the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
“This is good police work plain and simple,” said Chief Tom Manger. “We applaud the officers’ keen observation and the teamwork that resulted in this arrest.”
Around midnight, a Special Operation Division Officer was on patrol when he noticed a Dodge Dakota pickup truck, with a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it, outside of the DNC headquarters. The truck did not have a license plate. Instead, a picture of an American flag was placed where the license plate should have been. The Capitol Police officer pulled over the truck along the 500 block of South Capitol Street, SW.
The officers noticed a bayonet and machete, which are illegal in Washington, D.C., inside the truck.
The driver, 44-year-old Donald Craighead of Oceanside, California, was arrested for Possession of Prohibited Weapons.
Craighead said he was “on patrol” and began talking about white supremacist ideology and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy.
“This is an excellent example of the work our officers do every day,” said Operational Services Bureau Deputy Chief Jason Bell. “We are so proud of these officers for their vigilance.”
The USCP Investigations Division is continuing our investigation on the suspect.
At this time, it is not clear if he was planning to attend any upcoming demonstrations or if he has ties to any previous cases in the area.
Read more at U.S. Capitol Police
