Jan. 6 rioter accused of storming Capitol in red face paint pleads guilty

A St. Louis Cardinals fan accused of storming the Capitol in all red during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack pleaded guilty Friday to charges related to the insurrection.

The man, who legally changed his name from Daniel Donnelly, Jr. to Rally Runner in 2017, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a felony offense of civil disorder, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Runner, a 43-year-old man from Missouri, stormed the Capitol while wearing a red “Keep America Great” hat, a red jacket and red face paint. Runner is known in his hometown of St. Louis for his antics during Cardinals games, which include him running around the stadium in a red outfit and red face paint, The Associated Press reported.

While participating in the riot, Runner donned a stolen police riot shield to face off against law enforcement and used it to push the crowd of rioters further into the Capitol, prosecutors said.

Runner addressed his actions at the Capitol in a video he posted to Facebook later that day, during which he was still wearing his red outfit and face paint.

“I get a riot shield, and I’m not trying to cause any violence, but I’m trying to be the furthest person to get through all the way, or at least get the furthest,” he wrote on the social media site, according to the release.

Runner’s post continued, “I took up a lot of space, and I had the rioter shield, and I was right up there, and for some reason, like, the other people up there on the front lines with me, they did something similar…. It’s like they followed my lead, kind of.”

He was arrested on Aug. 2, 2023, in St. Louis. U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb will sentence him on July 30.

More than 1,358 people have been charged for crimes related to the Capitol riot.