Man from Mint Hill accused of breaking in to U.S. Capitol during Jan. 6 riot

MINT HILL, N.C. — A man from the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill is accused of traveling to Washington D.C. and breaking into the U.S. Capitol during a riot on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a new filing Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

David Paul Daniel, 36, is now facing federal felony charges after he was identified as a suspect in the riot, which took place as Congress was working to certify the 2020 presidential election.

Court documents provided by federal prosecutors show still photos from surveillance video at the capitol building, which is what has been largely used to identify previous suspects in the riot.

The surveillance pictures show Daniel in the courtyard and then inside the U.S. Capitol.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the security video shows Daniel joining a group of rioters “leading a violent push against [a] barricade and the officers attempting to hold it.” Daniel was sprayed with a “chemical irritant,” and climbed out of the building.

Minutes later, another swarm of rioters ended up breaching the door, and Daniel got inside the building.

Prosecutors say Daniel walked through several areas of the Capitol building, including the Capitol Crypt below the Grand Rotunda. He then left the building by climbing back out of the same window about 17 minutes after he went in.

Federal investigators were able to identify Daniel because of his public social media profiles. Several pictures show him at the U.S. Capitol wearing a beanie featuring a character from the video game Fallout, and investigators found social media photos of him wearing the same beanie. They also matched the pants he was wearing during the riot to another public social media post.

Daniel is the latest suspect from North Carolina to be arrested in connection with the riot, almost three years after it happened. Earlier this month, a Marine Corps veteran from Catawba County, Lee Stutts, was identified and charged for his role in the riot.

At least 26 suspects from North Carolina have been arrested and charged in connection with the Capitol breach, according to records provided by the Department of Justice. Online records show arrests for 24 people in North Carolina, but they’re not yet updated to include Daniel or Stutts.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says more than 1,200 people have been charged nationwide in connection with the riot.

(WATCH: January 6 Riots: An arrests and convictions breakdown)

January 6 Riots: An arrests and convictions breakdown (NCD)

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