A native of Washington state, who was arrested near the residence of former U.S. President Barrack Obama with hundreds of rounds of ammunition last month, has been indicted on six counts of firearms charges and involvement in the 2021 U.S. Capitol breach.
A grand jury in the District Court for the District of Columbia indicted Taylor Taranto, a 37-year-old native of Pasco, Washington, for allegedly carrying a firearm without a license and unlawfully possessing a “large-capacity ammunition feeding device.”
He was arrested in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington on June 29, 2023. During his arrest, law enforcement officers searched his vehicle and discovered two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Court documents alleged that Mr. Taranto had made several “concerning statements” regarding the residences in the area and expressed desires to commit acts of violence against a federal facility before his arrest.
Mr. Taranto was also accused of participating in the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed into the Capitol.
Among the evidence pointing to his alleged involvement in the Capitol breach is a video posted online, where he can be heard saying, “So, we’re in the Capitol building … legislative building … we just stormed it.”
The video was accompanied by a caption that read, “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!”
According to the court records, Mr. Taranto allegedly entered the Capitol building and moved through multiple areas of the building, including into the Rotunda and through Statuary Hall toward the House chamber.
The documents indicate the presence of video evidence that captures him standing at the entrance to the Speaker’s Lobby—an area behind the House chamber where Congresspeople were evacuating from the House chamber to a safe location.
“A mob of people, including Taranto, was directed to leave the building. Video from the incident shows multiple rioters aggressively yelling, pushing, and refusing officers’ directives to leave,” the court stated.
“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,” it added.
Mr. Taranto was a U.S. Navy veteran and a webmaster for the Republican Party in Franklin County, Washington, according to the Tri-City Herald newspaper. He told the newspaper in an interview last year that he was volunteering for the Republican Party.
More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Over 600 of them have pleaded guilty, while 100 others have been convicted after trials decided by judges or juries. More than 550 riot defendants have been sentenced, with over half receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from six days to 18 years.
