Man arrested with bayonet, machete near Democratic National Committee headquarters, police say

WASHIGNTON — U.S. Capitol Police arrested a California man early Monday after finding him with multiple knives in a truck near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.

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Police said an officer with the special operation division was on patrol around midnight when he noticed a Dodge Dakota pickup truck outside the DNC headquarters. The truck had a swastika “and other white supremacist symbols” painted on it, officials said. In lieu of a license plate, the truck had a picture of an American flag.

The officer pulled the truck over along the 500 block of South Capitol Street, SW, and saw a bayonet and a machete in the vehicle, authorities said. Both weapons are illegal in Washington.

Investigators said the man inside the truck, 44-year-old Donald Craighead of Oceanside, California, claimed to be “on patrol” and shared white supremacist ideology “and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy” with police. Authorities arrested him on a charge of possession of prohibited weapons, which carries a maximum sentence of a year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,500.

In a news release, authorities noted that it was not immediately clear whether Craighead planned to attend any upcoming demonstrations or rallies.

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In a statement, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger praised the officers involved in Craighead’s arrest for their “keen observation and … teamwork.”

“This is good police work plain and simple,” he said.

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