WASHINGTON (AP) — A conspiracy-minded Donald Trump supporter who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was arrested Thursday near the home of former President Barack Obama, a law enforcement official told NBC News. .
Taylor Taranto, 37, who was identified by online detectives in August 2021 and facing a lawsuit from the widow of a Metropolitan Police Department officer who committed suicide, recently appeared at the sentencing of David Walls-Kaufman, his co-defendant in the lawsuit.
Although Walls-Kaufman was arrested last year and has already been sentenced, Taylor has not been charged.
For the past few weeks, Taranto has been living in a van near the DC jail, according to his social media accounts, repeatedly wondering in online posts why he had not yet been arrested on Jan. 6. Taranto also posted a video of himself on YouTube. inside the Capitol during the riot.
The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that Taranto had been arrested under an outstanding warrant and that officers had his pickup truck swept by the explosives disposal team near where he was arrested. Taranto has been charged as a fugitive from justice and there is no active threat to the community, the department said.
It was not immediately clear when Taranto would appear in court.
NBC News has been checking Taranto’s Telegram account. His last post was a link to a website promoting conspiracy theories about Obama’s house.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.