A 44-year-old Oceanside man who had multiple knives in a swastika-adorned truck near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. was arrested Monday morning, the U.S. Capitol police said.
Capitol police identified the man as Donald Craighead. They said he was arrested for possession of prohibited weapons.
Around midnight eastern time, a Special Operation Division Officer was on patrol when he noticed a Dodge Dakota pickup truck with a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it, outside of the DNC headquarters, the Capitol Police said.
According to the police, the truck did not have a license plate — but instead had a picture of an American flag where the license plate should have been.
A Capitol Police officer pulled over the truck and noticed a bayonet and machete, which are illegal in Washington, D.C., inside the truck, police said.
Craighead said he was "on patrol" and began talking about white supremacist ideology and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy, according to the police.
USCP Officers Arrest California Man with Bayonet & Machete: https://t.co/0mhsoOC8vX pic.twitter.com/9SR1NXsJV6
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) September 13, 2021
Craighead is believed to be from Oceanside. His address shows up as the Oceanside post office on Brooks St.
“He had no real address other than where he could pick up mail at the post office,” said Tom Bussey, the public information officer with the Oceanside Police Department.
He confirmed they gave Craighead a transient citation earlier this year.
“We had contact with him back on... I think it was the 9th of January because he's listed as a transient and we had some type of contact with him that caused us to write him a citation,” said Bussey.
San Diego County court records show criminal charges against Craighead dating back to 2000.
They include domestic violence, exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a firearm, trespassing, evading law enforcement, and robbery.
The USCP Investigations Division was continuing its investigation.
It was not immediately clear if Craighead was planning to attend any upcoming demonstrations or if he has ties to any previous cases in the area, police said.
