By Chris Jennewein
SAN DIEGO — U.S. Capitol Police arrested an Oceanside man early Monday who allegedly was carrying a bayonet and machete in his truck near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington.
“This is good police work plain and simple,” said Chief Tom Manger. “We applaud the officers’ keen observation and the teamwork that resulted in this arrest.”
Around midnight Washington time, an officer noticed a Dodge Dakota pickup truck, with a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it outside of DNC headquarters.
The truck did not have a license plate. Instead, a picture of an American flag was placed where the license plate should have been. The officer pulled over the driver.
Inside the truck were a bayonet and machete, which are illegal in Washington, D.C., police said.
The driver, 44-year-old Donald Craighead of Oceanside, was arrested for alleged possession of prohibited weapons.
Police said Craighead told the officers he was “on patrol” and began reciting white supremacist ideology .
The arrest comes while Capitol Police are preparing for potential clashes and unrest during an upcoming right-wing rally on Saturday in Washington.
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This article was originally published by Times of San Diego, which shares stories with San Diego Jewish World under the auspices of the San Diego Online News Association.