Florida Man Arrested for Assault on Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Note: A full copy of the charging document can be viewed

WASHINGTON — Today, a Florida man was arrested for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Daniel Paul Gray, 41, of Neptune Beach, is charged with federal offenses that include forcibly assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with police; engaging in acts of physical violence in the Capitol building; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, among other charges. Gray will make his initial court appearance in the Middle District of Florida on Wednesday, May 19 at the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse in Jacksonville. 

According to court documents, Gray was inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, during which, among other things, he engaged in confrontations against law enforcement officers attempting to prevent rioters from entering the rotunda. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) body worn camera (BWC) footage captures Gray involved in an altercation with police at approximately 3:01 p.m. that resulted in an MPD officer falling down the western rotunda stairs and becoming visibly injured.

According to court documents, Gray posted a four-minute video to his Instagram account where he appears to be walking through an airport and describing his activities at the Capitol on Jan. 6. In the video, Gray bragged that: “we start pushing the police out the back of the Capitol; we pushed them from the front to the back of the Capitol.” He described how the group arrived at the staircase and started “pushing them [the police] down the staircase,” and also said “this is far from over, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life and stay tuned.” In social media messages Gray sent after Jan. 6, he further boasts, “Lol I was one of the first in the capital.”

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office.  

In the first 120 days after Jan. 6, approximately 440 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, including over 125 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

The charges contained in any criminal complaint or indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.