Jan. 6 defendant who was arrested near Obamas’ DC residence ordered held until trial

A man charged in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and who was arrested late last month near former President Obama’s home will remain in jail until his trial after a federal magistrate judge ruled Wednesday that the suspect would pose a danger to the community if released. 

Taylor Taranto was arrested on June 29 and charged with four misdemeanors related to the Capitol riot. Law enforcement had been looking for Taranto, but they escalated their search on June 28 after he indicated on social media that he intended to enter the Obamas’ residence in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C. 

He was apprehended near the Obamas’ home, and officials say his van contained hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two firearms and a machete.

In the most recent court filing on the case Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said Taranto would pose a danger to the public if released, agreeing with prosecutors who listed what they claimed were examples of the his erratic behavior.

Taranto allegedly had also made threatening statements about Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and said on his YouTube channel that he intended to blow up the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland. 

Earlier on the day that he was arrested, Taranto had reposted former President Trump’s post containing what Trump claimed to be the Obamas’ address and then began livestreaming himself from a van as he drove around the neighborhood and, according to a court filing last week, “made it clear that he intended to access or enter the private residences of his subjects.”

“Unlike many other January 6 misdemeanor defendants, Taranto, acting on the same impulses that drove his actions on January 6, 2021, has continued to pursue the objectives of the riot while making numerous and varied threats at the same time he possessed firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a machete,” prosecutors wrote in a filing last week.

In court papers, Taranto’s lawyer argued that their client is not a flight risk and had a “stable home in Washington state, a loving wife and family, and is connected to mental health services there,” The Associated Press reported Wednesday. The attorney also claimed that Taranto had no criminal history and had served in the Navy. 

“Mr. Taranto is a loving and engaged father who has actively worked to address mental health issues that began after trauma experienced during his military service,” public defender Kathryn Guevara reportedly wrote in court papers, according to the AP. 

Prosecutors charged Taranto with misdemeanor offenses related to the Jan. 6 riot, accusing him of joining the group of people who entered the Capitol and approached the entrance of the Speaker’s Lobby, the AP reported.