Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 49
- Location
- The Colony, Texas
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; 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; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Federal law enforcement alleges that Daniel Ray Caldwell is the man shown in a YouTube video spraying some sort of unidentified mist at police officers near the Capitol steps. A court filing states that Caldwell was wearing an olive hoodie, dark glasses and a camouflage backpack at the time. In a second video posted online, Caldwell is alleged to have described his involvement in storming the Capitol, telling two off-screen females that he sprayed about 15 officers. Records subsequently showed that a phone device belonging to Caldwell was located inside the Capitol around the time of the riots on Jan. 6, 2021. A witness who claimed to know Caldwell was later intervewed by law enforcement and said that Caldwell was "a huge white supremacist" and a "complete wacko." According to sentencing memos filed in court, Caldwell served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Case History
Caldwell pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 2/1/2023 to 68 months incarceration with credit for time served; 36 months supervised release; $2,000 restitution; $100 special assessment. Caldwell received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
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.