Utah Man Charged in Connection with the January 6 Capitol Breach
WASHINGTON — A Utah resident, Daniel Van Oaks, Jr., aged 54, from Alpine, has been charged with multiple offenses, including allegedly assaulting law enforcement during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. This incident disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress, which was in the process of certifying the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.
Van Oaks faces a felony charge for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, as well as obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, as outlined in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia.
In addition to these felonies, he is also charged with six misdemeanors. These include unauthorized entry or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct within such areas, engaging in physical violence in these locations, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, committing an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds or buildings, and attempting to take something of value from another person.
Van Oaks is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in the District of Utah on November 22, 2024.
Alleged Actions and Evidence
According to court documents, Van Oaks was identified in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. At approximately 4:22 p.m., video footage captured him in police body-worn camera footage as he approached and pushed through a police line on the Upper West Terrace, an area where officers were stationed to control rioters. The footage shows officers trying to repel him before he relocated along the police line.
It is alleged that at around 4:23 p.m., Van Oaks lunged at an officer, forcibly taking the officer’s baton, causing the officer to fall. He is then said to have retreated with the baton, holding it aloft triumphantly before rejoining the crowd.
On that same day, Van Oaks allegedly posted a live video on Facebook, referring to himself as “Dan Oaks,” where he documented his movements on the Upper West Terrace. In the video, Van Oaks reportedly boasted about taking an officer’s baton as a “souvenir” and described pushing through police barricades.
As he exited the Capitol grounds, Van Oaks allegedly stated, “They won this round, but we will be back,” expressing regret for not “storming the castle sooner.” He further described the day’s events as:
“Pretty fun, the revolution is over, we had fun storming the castle. I never had so much tear gas bombs go off around me as I did today. We had loads of fun, I got a baton too, but it was gone. I should have tossed it in the bushes more, so it was more hidden.”
Investigation and Prosecution
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, in collaboration with the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, is prosecuting this case. Assistance has been provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Salt Lake City and Washington Field Offices. Van Oaks was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #489 in the FBI’s seeking information images. The United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department have also contributed valuable assistance.
Since January 6, 2021, over 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol breach. This includes more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony offense. The investigation is ongoing.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
