Virginia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with Weapon and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

            WASHINGTON —  A Virginia man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Darl McDorman, 53, of Waynesboro, Virginia, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

            In addition to the felonies, McDorman is charged with disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

            The FBI arrested McDorman on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Virginia, and he made his initial appearance in the Western District of Virginia.

            According to court documents, at approximately 2:28 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, a crowd of rioters assembled on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol grounds near the media tower. Law enforcement officers from the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) formed a line of bike racks to act as a barrier against the crowd.

            The rioters eventually breached the line, swarmed the officers, and advanced towards the first landing of the Lower West Terrace. During the breach, rioters assaulted multiple officers. Court documents say that at about 2:29 pm, McDorman was at the front of the crowd of rioters and was allegedly seen kicking a USCP Officer with his right leg.

            Later, at about 2:41 pm, officers retreated into the Lower West Terrace Tunnel in an effort to prevent rioters from entering the U.S. Capitol building through that entrance. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent acts against law enforcement on January 6th. At approximately 2:42 pm, rioters began entering the Tunnel and fighting with the officers. The rioters broke the glass and forced the doors open. In response, the USCP and MPD officers formed a police line blocking that entrance to the U.S. Capitol building.

            Inside the Tunnel, rioters battled with law enforcement, including by throwing objects at the police line. At approximately 4:34 pm, as the crowd of violent rioters continued their efforts to breach the Tunnel and as the officers continued to attempt to maintain the police line and were fending off ongoing assaults by the rioters, McDorman approached the Tunnel and stood near the entrance. A rioter farther in the crowd threw what appeared to be a bottled beverage towards the line of officers. The object landed on the ground and did not appear to hit the officers. McDorman then proceeded to immediately pick up the object and allegedly threw it directly at the officers.

            Court documents say that McDorman allegedly threw multiple objects at law enforcement in the Tunnel, including what appeared to be a short silver pipe and a separate long brown metal pipe. McDorman then picked up a wooden flagpole and used it to allegedly strike officers repeatedly. McDorman then helped pass other items to other rioters, including a metal object and a desk drawer.

            ]At approximately 4:15 pm, multiple law enforcement agencies began to clear the area of the Upper West Terrace free from rioters and made their way to the Lower West Terrace. Court documents say that McDorman picked up what appeared to be a blue-colored folding lawn chair in a storage bag and threw the chair toward police, striking one officer. At approximately 5:13 pm, McDorman can be seen in open-source video footage approaching the police line, holding a metal bike-rack-like police barrier with both hands and hurling it at the police line.  Sometime later, McDorman is seen again throwing an unidentified metal object, approximately 2-3 feet long, at the police line, which struck the shield of an MPD officer.

            The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia provided valuable assistance.

            The FBI's Richmond and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case. McDorman was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #334. The U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance.

            In the 39 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,387 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 493 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.