Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 39
- Location
- Summit, Illinois
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon or Firearm; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon or Firearm; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm on Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm on Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; DC charges: Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm; Carrying a Pistol Without a License (Outside Home or Place of Business); Possession of Unregistered Firearm
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
According to court documents, shortly after 2:30 pm on Jan. 6, 2021, John Banuelos climbed a scaffolding outside the U.S. Capitol building, pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired two shots into the sky. Banuelos was seen in open-source video and body-worn camera footage throughout the afternoon on Capitol grounds wearing a red puffy jacket, black boots and knee pads, and a white "Trump 2020" cowboy hat. At various points, he was seen kicking metal barricades, pushing against police officers and showing off the gun tucked into his pants, prosecutors allege. Federal investigators first became aware of Banuelos' actions that afternoon in 2021; he was arrested on Mar. 8, 2024, in Summit, Ill.
Case History
Banuelos pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 1/22/2025, the court ordered that the case is dismissed without prejudice.
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.