Despite it being more than a year since the horrific Jan. 6 Capitol riots, not all of those involved have been arrested or held accountable yet. Every passing week it seems that a new person is either arrested or found to be connected to an incident that occurred at the failed coup. Most recently, unearthed police records indicate a man arrested for a stabbing in Utah admitted to police officials that he brought a gun to the Jan. 6 riots.
Identified as John Banuelos, the 37-year-old man from Salt Lake City told police in July 2021 he was defending himself when he fatally stabbed a man over a dispute about money. While being interviewed about the stabbing, he told police not once but several times that he was at the Capitol riot while carrying a gun, according to an interview transcript obtained by NBC News affiliate KSL.
"Man, should I just tell the FBI to come get me or what ...?" Banuelos reportedly told detectives during the interview. "I was in the D.C. riots ... The FBI hasn't came and got me yet, OK?"
When asked by a detective if he had entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he responded: "Yeah, I went inside and I'm the one with the video with the gun right here," Banuelos said, sharing footage of the riot. His description and the footage match a viral video shared by VICE News in which a man can be seen flashing a weapon in his waistband while outside the U.S. Capitol.
According to the transcript, Banuelos said he believed he had been "sent" to the Capitol riot by Donald Trump. According to NBC News, it is unclear if officers believed Banuelos because police records indicate he made a lot of comments that did not make sense.
However, a group of online sleuths called the Sedition Hunters told KSL that they had identified Banuelos as a riot participant via multiple photos and video footage. They noted that an FBI Photograph 200, which was taken during the riot, appears to also resemble a 2017 mugshot of Banuelos.
The photographed man is wanted by the FBI for allegedly assaulting a member of the media and flashing a handgun during the riot.
According to KSL, the Sedition Hunters informed the FBI that they believed the man was Banuelos based on his clothes, social media posts, and other online information in February 2021.
Police records show that while Banuelos admitted to the stabbing, the local district attorney's office determined not to pursue that case at the time because they lacked sufficient evidence to charge Banuelos with a crime.
"Based upon the information provided to our office for screening, we have determined that we are unable to proceed with the prosecution of John Emmanuel Banuelos at this time," according to a letter, included in the police reports obtained by KSL. "This office would be more than happy to revisit this matter if further information is developed which more adequately supports the prosecution of said individual."
But the stabbing arrest was not the only time Banuelos met with the police. According to Utah records, he was arrested at least two times in the months following the stabbing, accused of assaulting women in separate incidents that occurred in August and September of 2021.
Additionally, at this time there is no indication that Banuelos has been questioned or arrested by the FBI in connection with the riot, NBC News reported.
The FBI declined to comment on the investigation into Banuelos, noting that it does not comment on ongoing criminal investigations.
According to NBC News, the FBI received more than 200,000 tips to its public tip line in just the few weeks after the Jan. 6 attack, and tens of thousands more through its National Threat Operations Center. As of this report, more than 725 people have been arrested from a pool of 2,500 potential defendants captured breaking the law on video on Jan. 6, HuffPost reported.
Banuelos’ current location is unclear.
