(KGTV) – An Oceanside man was arrested after U.S. Capitol Police discovered a bayonet and machete inside his pickup truck while it was parked near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Capitol Police announced Monday that 44-year-old Donald Craighead was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of prohibited weapons.
According to a Capitol Police news release, an officer was on patrol near the DNC headquarters around midnight Monday when he saw a Dodge Dakota 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.”
Police said the officer saw a bayonet and machete -- illegal in Washington, D.C. -- in the man’s truck.
According to police, the suspect “said he was 'on patrol' and began talking about white supremacist ideology and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy."
Police stated that it was unclear if Craighead “was planning to attend any upcoming demonstrations or if he has ties to any previous cases in the area.”
According to Oceanside Police, Craighead is a transient with an Oceanside post office box. He was charged in November 2020 for trespass and threatening a man with a knife. In 2019 he was charged with robbery for stealing cigars from a Santee cigar shop, and in 2016 and 2015, he was arrested for evading officers and driving recklessly.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said, “This is good police work plain and simple. We applaud the officers’ keen observation and the teamwork that resulted in this arrest.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
