Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 37
- Location
- Florida
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon (2 counts); Use of Explosive to Commit a Felony; Theft of Government Property; 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; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Unlawful Possession of an Explosive in Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
It is unclear how Daniel Charles Ball initially came to the attention of the FBI, but federal agents allegedly identified Ball in multiple sources of video from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including surveillance footage from inside the U.S. Capitol building. According to federal court documents detailing that video footage, Ball can be seen near a tunnel entrance to the building forcefully shoving police officers, lighting an unknown object on fire and throwing it at police, where it "flashed and exploded multiple times on the officers in the tunnel." Officers on the scene described the incident "as a bomb or a grenade being thrown into the tunnel," and multiple officers suffered hearing damage, including one who had hearing impairment for months. Some officers there reportedly thought they were going to die. Ball can also allegedly be seen in the video throwing what appeared to be a wooden chair or table leg at police.
Case History
Ball pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 1/21/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice. On 1/22/2025, he was arrested on a charge filed in the Middle District of Florida
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.