An armed man whom Capitol Police arrested outside the Democratic National Committee Headquarters has been charged, but investigators said it does not appear he had any intention of committing violence.
Charging documents released after Donald Craighead, 44, appeared before a D.C. Superior Court judge reveal that investigators found no indication he had any intention of attacking anyone around the DNC on Monday or had any ill will to the government or any officials.
He did, however, tell officers that he was “patrolling for individuals trying to change his magnetic frequency and the gay families who were behind the September 11th attacks that have stalked him for years,” the documents said.
The Oceanside, California, man was wanted for violating his probation there and was considered armed and dangerous. Police said that contributed to the arrest, as did the weapons they allegedly found inside Craighead’s pickup truck.
Along with a 7.5-inch hunting knife, initially described by police as a bayonet, they also found a 21.5-inch machete in a sheath on the dashboard, the documents said.
They found a number of white supremacist symbols, including a swastika painted on the side mirror, and a series of magnets and coins taped to the inside of the vehicle. Investigators also found duck bones, human hair clippings and four black cans taped together, which they later discovered contained playing dice and small pieces of metal.
Craighead was wearing a T-shirt at the time of his arrest that read ‘Boogaloo Movement,’ according to court documents, but investigators say there is no indication from a journal in his truck, his cellphone activity or his interview that Craighead has any ties to extremist groups.
He has been charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, and investigators ordered he be psychologically evaluated before his next hearing. He’s being held without bond.
