Capitol police arrested a man carrying a machete and spear in a truck near the DNC headquarters

U.S. Capitol police arrested a man with a spear and machete in a truck bearing symbols of white supremacy near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington on Monday, and Donald Craighead, 44, of Oceanside, California, was arrested for possession of prohibited weapons. Both bayonets and machetes are illegal in Washington, according to police, as local and federal law enforcement prepare for a demonstration on September 18 aimed at characterizing the politically motivated arrests of members of pro-Trump gangs that stormed the US Capitol. But police said it was unclear why Craighead was in the area, and his father told USA TODAY he didn’t think his son was there to attend the demonstration. He used drugs and described his son as a hothead who was drawn to white nationalist ideology, although he said he did not believe he had made it to Washington for the rally scheduled for Saturday in support of those involved in the deadly January 6 riots at the Capitol.” He is not a Trump supporter. The father said. : As recently as three weeks ago, the father said Craighead was imprisoned in southwest Virginia for driving a truck with stolen license plates. He said his son told him he bought the truck without knowing the plates were stolen. The father said, “He calls me any time he’s in jail,” Adding that his son also spent time in a Montana prison in connection with a fraudulent shipment, “We did everything we could to help him. I’m glad they (the police) caught him, because we don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Craighead was arrested early Monday near the DNC headquarters on the 500th block of South Capitol Street, about half a mile south of the US Capitol Building, a source said. Familiar with the situation Craighead is not believed to be interested in the DNC station, and a patrol officer noticed a Dodge Dakota carrying swastikas and other symbols of white supremacy outside the DNC headquarters at around midnight. US Capitol Police Twitter A black truck with red stripe down the side and horns mounted across the front grill, a swastika was also painted on the driver’s side mirror. A quarter was mounted in the center of a swastika drawn inside the door. The word “Confederate” was written on the dashboard, with a The Ronnie Norse symbol is common in white supremacy icons to replace the letter “O.” Officers saw the harpoon and machete inside the truck, according to police. Craighead told police he was “on patrol,” and “began to talk about white supremacy ideology,” according to a press release. We are grateful to the Capitol Police To contain this threat, and we cannot comment further on the specifics of this ongoing investigation, DNC CEO Sam Cornell said in a prepared statement. DNC leadership. This suspect’s views are hateful, and violence and white supremacy have no place in our country.” Incidents of 2021 in or near the US Capitol Building. On January 6, the night before the riots, two bombs were placed near the headquarters He was seen wearing a gray hooded T-shirt, and then in April, a Capitol police officer was killed when a car crashed into a barrier at the Capitol.In August, police arrested a North Carolina man who claimed he was carrying A bomb in a pickup truck near the Capitol.Check back with USA TODAY to learn more about this evolving story.