A North Carolina man has admitted to assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The incident disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to count electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.
David Paul Daniel, aged 37 and from Mint Hill, North Carolina, entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. This plea was made before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who will sentence him on May 5, 2025.
Court documents reveal that Daniel traveled to Washington, D.C., for the "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6, 2021. Around 2:12 p.m., rioters initially breached the Capitol at the Senate Wing Door but were eventually halted by U.S. Capitol Police using heavy wooden structures as barricades.
At approximately 2:42 p.m., rioters reopened the Senate Wing Door but were blocked by one of these barricades. Shortly after, Daniel moved to the front of the crowd and helped push against the barricade into officers behind it. The officers struggled to maintain their position as more rioters supported Daniel's push from behind. Within minutes, rioters overwhelmed officers and entered through the Senate Wing Door hallway.
Daniel exited and re-entered through broken windows near this doorway and walked around inside several areas before exiting again around 3:04 p.m.
The case is prosecuted by both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section with assistance from other offices including in North Carolina.
Investigations are led by FBI's Charlotte and Washington Field Offices with support from Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department.
Since January 6, over 1,583 individuals have been charged across nearly all states related to Capitol breach activities; more than 600 faced charges specifically for assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers—a felony offense—with investigations still ongoing.
Anyone possessing relevant information can contact authorities via phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.