Feds: Trump posted what he said was Obama’s address, then a man with guns went there
Taylor Taranto, who had a warrant out for his arrest connected to the Jan. 6 attack, was found with firearms near the Obama home after claiming to have a detonator the day before.
Federal prosecutors claim a man detained last week with weapons in former President Barack Obama’s Washington neighborhood made his way there after sharing a social media post from impeached and indicted former President Donald Trump that purported to contain the address of the revered Black former commander-in-chief.
According to CNN, prosecutors cited that information in a Wednesday memo requesting Taylor Taranto’s continued detention pending his trial on charges connected to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Judge Zia Faruqui said Taranto is charged with a misdemeanor in the Jan. 6 case. The judge noted that federal law only permits him to detain Taranto if he is deemed a flight risk.
Taranto threatened House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, according to prosecutors. Earlier in June, Taranto and several others went into an elementary school close to Raskin’s house, and Taranto livestreamed the event. The group was “walking around the school, entering the gymnasium, and using a projector to display a film related to Jan. 6,” according to the complaint.
Prosecutors claim Taranto targeted Raskin because of his hatred for “Jan. 6 people, or more like Trump supporters, and it’s kind of like sending a shockwave through him because I did nothing wrong.” Taranto also claimed he picked that elementary school because of its proximity to Raskin’s home.
Last week, Taranto, who had a warrant out for his arrest connected to the riot charges, was found in possession of firearms in Obama’s neighborhood after claiming to have a detonator on a livestream the day before.
Prosecutors claim that on June 28, Taranto made ominous statements about McCarthy on tape, saying “nothing can stop” what’s coming.
After seeing such “threatening comments,” law enforcement officials attempted to find Taranto but were unsuccessful.
The next day, on June 29, “former President Donald Trump posted what he claimed was the address of Former President Barack Obama on the social media platform Truth Social,” the prosecutors stated in their memo. The address was reposted by Taranto.
Soon after, Taranto started livestreaming from his van again while cruising through the Kalorama neighborhood of the nation’s capital, broadcasting on his YouTube account.
According to the government’s filing, Taranto parked his vehicle and got out. Due to the residential area’s restricted nature, uniformed Secret Service officers started watching Taranto almost immediately when he started strolling around and filming.
According to prosecutors, Taranto frequently described his acts in the recording as free speech, “as if he believes that simply saying the words ‘First Amendment’ absolved him from any trespass.”
Prosecutors said Taranto walked toward nearby Rock Creek Park after spotting Secret Service agents and veered off the road into a forested area. He started to run away from Secret Service personnel as they drew near, but he was eventually caught and taken into custody.
In their brief, prosecutors identified the two guns discovered in Taranto’s vehicle last week as a “Smith and Wesson M&P Shield” and a “Ceska 9mm CZ Scorpion E3,” and included several images of the weapons in their filing.
In addition, they discovered “hundreds of rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition, a steering wheel lock, and a machete,” according to the document, along with signs, a mattress and other proof Taranto was residing in the van.
They claimed he was the registered owner of over a dozen additional firearms, but none have been found.
Taranto has not yet been charged in last week’s incident. The judge on Wednesday deferred deciding on whether Taranto would remain detained while he awaited trial.
“Taranto is a direct and serious threat to the public,” prosecutors said in their filing, CNN reported. “Taranto’s own words and actions demonstrate that he is a direct threat to multiple political figures as well as the public at large. The risk that Taranto poses if released is high, and the severity of the consequences that could result are catastrophic.”
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