Capitol police arrest man with knives in truck painted with swastika near DNC headquarters in Washington

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The U.S. Capitol Police on Monday arrested a man from California found with multiple knives inside his truck parked near the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

Donald Craighead, 44, of Oceanside, California was arrested for possession of prohibited weapons. 

Around midnight, a Capitol Police officer out on patrol noticed a Dodge Dakota pickup truck "with a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it," the department said in a statement. The truck did not have a license plate. 

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Instead, a picture of an American flag was placed where the license plate should have been. The officer pulled over the truck along the 500 block of South Capitol Street, SW, and noticed a bayonet and machete, which are illegal in Washington, D.C., inside, police said. 

At that time, Craighead allegedly stated that he was "on patrol" and "began talking about white supremacist ideology and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy," the U.S. Capitol Police said. 

"This is good police work plain and simple," Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. "We applaud the officers’ keen observation and the teamwork that resulted in this arrest."

"This is an excellent example of the work our officers do every day," Operational Services Bureau Deputy Chief Jason Bell added. "We are so proud of these officers for their vigilance."

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The U.S. Capitol Police Investigations Division will continue its probe of the suspect. It was no immediately clear whether Craighead was planning to attend any upcoming demonstrations or if he has ties to any previous cases in the area, police said.