A man arrested for taking part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol sold his Washington D.C. home and planned to go on the run, federal investigators said in court filings. He had not reported to pretrial services in his federal case since early August and skipped a court date on a local domestic violence case, records show.

At about 5 a.m. Sunday, police caught up with Darrell Neely at the Homestead Lodge just off Interstate 40 in Greensboro, North Carolina, according to Guilford County Sheriff’s Office records.


What You Need To Know

  • The FBI accused Darrell Neely of stealing a U.S. Capitol Police jacket, hat and badge during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol

  • Neely did not show up for court in a separate domestic violence case and had not checked in with the federal pretrial release office, prosecutors say

  • Investigators arrested Neely before dawn Sunday at a hotel in Greensboro, according to local and federal records

  • Federal agents have arrested more than 870 people in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to the Justice Department

Someone Neely was staying with in North Carolina told the FBI that Neely planned to run from the charges, according to a Sept. 2 court filing when prosecutors asked the court to put Neely back in jail while he awaits trial.

“Defendant stated to her that he has over $200,000 from the sale of real property in Washington, D.C., and that he intends to flee using these funds,” the filing said.

Neely also had a bench warrant issued when he did not show up for court in a domestic violence case, dating back to February 2021, according to records from the Washington, D.C. Superior Court.

Federal prosecutors charged Neely in September 2021 with taking part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Thousands of Trump supporters attacked as Congress met to certify the presidential election for Joe Biden.

Investigators say Neely entered the U.S. Capitol Building during the Jan. 6 attack, and that he is seen on video smoking marijuana as he walked through the building.

Neely stole a U.S. Capitol Police badge, jacket and hat, along with four China plates while he was in the Capitol, according to an FBI affidavit.

“In the following days, Neely broadcast about the events on his YouTube channel. The FBI has viewed several of these broadcasts. In one of the video broadcasts, Neely was wearing a U.S. Capitol Police baseball cap,” the affidavit states.

A Capitol police officer told the FBI they took off their jacket and hat while being decontaminated from a toxic spray, according to the FBI. 

Neely faces five charges from Jan. 6, including theft of government property.

Federal agents have arrested more than 870 people in connection with the Jan. 6 attack. More than 260 of those have been charged with assaulting police.