A 37-year-old man was arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood this week, the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday.
Taylor Taranto, 37, who had open warrant for his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 riot, was arrested Thursday following a pursuit by Secret Service agents just blocks from former President Obama’s home.
“Since January 6, 2021, the FBI has been investigating and identifying those individuals who illegally entered and committed offenses within the United States Capitol and its grounds,” the criminal complaint against Taranto said. Investigators have determined that TAYLOR FRANKLIN TARANTO, a resident of the State of Washington, was one such individual.”
Taranto allegedly had weapons and materials to make an explosive device with him at the time of his arrest.
The MPD’s Explosive Ordinance Team also performed a sweep of Taranto’s van that was parked near where he was arrested on Kalorama Road, NW, the department told Fox News Digital in a release.
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“There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation,” the MPD said in the release, adding that Taranto had “no fixed address.”
Law enforcement sources who spoke to the Associated Press about Taranto’s warrant didn’t specify what he was accused of doing but added that he had made social media threats against a public figure.
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Taranto and another man, David Walls-Kaufman, were sued by the widow of MPD Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, who died by suicide nine days after the riot, accusing him of handing a blunt instrument to Walls-Kaufman who allegedly hit the officer with it, according to the Washington Post. Smith’s suicide was ruled a line-of-duty death.
“At the brink of the exit, TARANTO and multiple other rioters, including a male identified as David Walls-Kaufman (who has been convicted and sentenced for his conduct on January 6, 2021), scuffled with police officers,” the criminal complaint said.
Taranto has reportedly denied the claims in court documents. Walls-Kaufman was sentenced to two months in jail after being charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
He also has a social media account in which he posted more than once about participating in the riot, including a video post with a caption that said, “This is me ‘stormin’ the capitol’ lol I’m only sharing this so someone will report me to the feds and we can get this party rolling!”
Taranto is a Navy veteran who volunteered with the Republican Party in Washington state.
It wasn’t clear if the Obamas were at their D.C. home at the time of the arrest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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