Supporter of Donald Trump accused with to fire a gun He was ordered held by a federal judge in Chicago on Wednesday after prosecutors argued that his behavior was “mind-numbingly dangerous” during the Jan. 6 attack outside the Capitol building and that no condition of his release would ensure public safety.
John Banuelos went public in an NBC News story In February 2022but until last month, another riot broke out on January 6 has been published Video footage shows Banuelos firing the gun in his waistband.
FBI special agents contacted Banuelos after he went public in 2022 to question him about allegations that he entered the Capitol under government arrest. memo. Banuelos denied “hanging up the phone before entering the capitol and then calling the agents and people trying to trick him and messing with his mind.”
Nearly two years later, in January 2024, the FBI interviewed Banuelos about his social media threats, but it wasn’t until last month that the FBI began “monitoring” after footage emerged showing Banuelos firing two shots outside the Capitol. Banuelos’ mobile location data,” prosecutors said.
Judge Beth W. Jantz said during Banuelos’ arrest hearing Wednesday in Chicago that the defendant’s alleged actions were reckless, very serious and endangered law enforcement. Jantz ordered Banuelos held until his next appearance on March 21 at a federal courthouse in Washington.
A federal prosecutor argued during a custody hearing that Banuelos had documented and confirmed his behavior in social media posts since Jan. 6 and that he had untreated mental health and substance abuse issues.
Federal prosecutors said in a withheld letter that when the FBI arrested Banuelos last week as his mother’s home, they found a BB gun and a starter pistol in a basement closet. They noted that “the recovered starter pistol looks different from the firearm that was fired on January 6, 2021,” but even if Banuelos used the starter pistol during the attack, the starter pistol is still a firearm under applicable law.
Federal prosecutors called Banuelos’ behavior “disturbingly dangerous” and said there were no conditions of release that could protect the community. They noted Banuelos’ extensive criminal history, including a fatal stabbing in Utah in July 2021, months after he was first identified to the FBI. (Banuelos not charged after claiming self-defense in this case.)
Prosecutors wrote: “As the crowd overpowered the officers, Banuelos climbed to the top of the building in front of other rioters, drew a firearm from his waistband and fired two shots into the air. Any number of life-threatening incidents could have occurred, such as the Jan. 6 active shooter threat at the Capitol that could have triggered a deadly response from law enforcement or a crowd of other rioters. Fortunately, none of these incidents occurred, but the absence of such harm does not help diminish the seriousness of Banuelos’ actions.”
More than 1,300 people have been charged in connection with the attack on the US Capitol, and prosecutors have secured more than 950 convictions to date. Although many low-level defendants received probation on Jan. 6, nearly 500 defendants were sentenced to terms ranging from a few days to 22 years in federal prison.
Banuelos is now among a small number of Jan. 6 defendants — about two dozen — currently being held in pretrial detention for being a risk to the community or a flight risk.
Trump this week he swore In January 2025, as one of his “first acts as your next president,” “Release the January 6 Hostages,” equalization Terrorist organizations taking hostages through the US judicial system. Hours later Trump pressed Republican presidential nomination.