David Paul Daniel, Assaulting Officers, Washington 2021

Washington DC – A North Carolina man pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

David Paul Daniel, 37, of Mint Hill, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. Judge McFadden will sentence Daniel on May 5, 2025.

According to court documents, Daniel traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the Jan. 6, 2021, ‘Stop the Steal’ rally on the National Mall.

At approximately 2:12 p.m., the initial breach of the U.S. Capitol building occurred at a doorway known as the Senate Wing Door. Eventually, U.S. Capitol Police officers were able to stop the influx of rioters from that doorway. To secure the area, the officers, among other efforts, placed heavy wooden structures in front of the Senate Wing Door and nearby windows.

At approximately 2:42 p.m., a rioter succeeded in once again breaking open the Senate Wing Door, but further entry was blocked by one of the heavy wooden structures, which was placed in front of the door like a barricade. At approximately 2:46 p.m., Daniel moved to the front of the crowd directly in front of that barricade.

About one minute later, Daniel and another rioter to his right thrust their arms into and forcefully pushed the barricade into the officers standing on the other side. Officers attempted to keep the heavy wooden barricade in place as the crowd swarmed behind Daniel to support the push. Approximately one minute later, rioters succeeded in overwhelming the officers and swarmed into the Senate Wing Door hallway.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 48 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,583 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 600 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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