A man arrested with multiple firearms and materials to make explosives in former President Barack Obama’s Washington, DC, neighborhood will remain in custody ahead of his detention hearing next week, a federal magistrate judge said Friday.
Taylor Taranto, 37, was arrested Thursday and is facing four misdemeanor charges related to his conduct during the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, including the charge of unlawful protest in the Capitol building. Judge G. Michael Harvey suggested that more charges could be added at a later time.
Taranto was arrested in Obama’s neighborhood after claiming on an internet livestream that he had a detonator, law enforcement officials told CNN.
During Taranto’s initial hearing on Friday, his court-appointed attorney said that he was visiting Washington to see House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and review January 6 footage related to his case. McCarthy obtained thousands of hours of security footage from that day from US Capitol Police.
CNN has reached out to McCarthy’s office for comment.
When Taranto was arrested Thursday, prosecutors said law enforcement found two guns in his van along with 400 rounds of ammunition, a machete and a mattress. Taranto’s van is still being searched, prosecutors said.
The judge agreed with the prosecution that Taranto is a flight risk and added he has concerns regarding Taranto’s mental health, which the judge said would be addressed at the next hearing.
The government argued Taranto should remain in detention. Prosecutors said Taranto is from Washington state but recently has been living out of van in Washington, DC.
Taranto’s attorney, Katie Guevara, told Harvey that her client, who had been living with his wife in Washington state, should be released from custody and is not a flight risk.
Taranto’s detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
CNN