A Utah man faces multiple charges for his alleged involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice. Daniel Van Oaks, Jr., a 54-year-old from Alpine, Utah, has been accused of physically assaulting law enforcement officers and engaging in various offenses during the events that interrupted Congress's counting of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.
Van Oaks, whose charges include felonies for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, is also facing six misdemeanors. These misdemeanors range from entering or remaining in a restricted federal property without permission to engaging in physical violence on such property. His initial appearance in court is set for Nov. 22.
The allegations against Van Oaks detail his actions on January 6, 2021, where he is said to have forcibly taken a baton from a police officer after causing the officer to fall, celebrating the act as a "souvenir". This incident was captured on police body-worn cameras around 4:23 p.m., following an earlier attempt by Van Oaks to breach a police line on Capitol grounds, as per court documents cited by the DOJ.
Investigators identified Van Oaks through video evidence and a Facebook live video he posted, where he chronicled his activities during the riot and expressed his perspectives on the day's events. In the video, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that Van Oaks remarks, "They won this round, but we will be back," indicating persistent defiance even after the riot. He also shared his regret for not hiding the baton better and gleefully recounted his experience with tear gas and the chaotic environment.
In the 45 months since the Capitol breach, more than 1,532 individuals across the United States have been charged with related crimes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Over 571 of those have been charged with felonies like assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI continues to seek information on participants in the riot, encouraging anyone with tips to contact them. Though Van Oaks has been charged, he remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, as is standard in the U.S. legal system.
