By Jan Wolfe
(Reuters) – A California man arrested with multiple knives in his truck near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington made a comment about race during his arrest, police said in a court filing made public on Tuesday.
“Why are you all pulling me over when there are brown people hurting white people,” said Donald Craighead, 44, during his arrest on Monday morning, according to an affidavit submitted in court by a U.S. Capitol Police Officer.
Prosecutors have charged Craighead, of Oceanside, California, with unlawfully possessing prohibited weapons, a felony.
Around midnight Monday morning, a Capitol Police officer was on patrol when he noticed a pickup truck with a bayonet and a machete inside of it, and a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it, the police department said in a news release.
The truck was parked near the DNC headquarters, which borders the U.S. Capitol complex, the statement said.
Craighead said he was “on patrol” and began talking about white supremacist ideology, according to the affidavit.
According to police, when asked why he had the weapons, Craighead stated: “I’m not much of an attacker. I’m build for defense. If I had to hurt someone I absolutely would.”
A judge on Tuesday ordered Craighead jailed until his next court date later this month.
A Saturday rally is planned by supporters of the roughly 600 people charged with taking part in the deadly Jan. 6 riot involving backers of then-President Donald Trump.
U.S. Capitol Police on Monday said it was is erecting a temporary fence around the Capitol in anticipation of a planned rally.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Alistair Bell)
