SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man from Granite Bay was arrested by the FBI Friday on suspicion of assaulting law enforcement at the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Dane Thompson, 45, was allegedly at the site of “one of the most violent attacks against law enforcement” during the insurrection, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Thompson was arraigned Monday in Sacramento federal court, charged with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and civil disorder, plus five misdemeanor offenses. His case will be tried in the D.C. circuit, prosecutors said.
He is scheduled to be released from custody after posting a $25,000 bail. He’s scheduled to appear before D.C. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Thompson recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Eureka Union School District board of trustees in Placer County. According to his campaign statement, Thompson is an electrical engineer with two sons in the school district. A woman associated with a phone number listed for Thompson told the Sacramento Bee that they had no comment.
Thompson’s alleged conduct on Jan. 6
The affidavit filed in federal court alleges the following events:
Thompson attended the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally in support of former President Donald Trump, who claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him when he lost to President Joe Biden.
After the rally, Thompson joined rioters at the Capitol’s West Front as they attempted to bypass police barricades and physically interfere with law enforcement officers near the inaugural stage. Open-source video footage captured Thompson as he grabbed a bike rack at the front of the police line and wrestled it away from an officer.
Thompson then surged forward with other rioters after the police line collapsed and grabbed the right arm of a police officer. As Thompson moved past police, he tripped and fell over a step. Another rioter shoved a police officer backward, who then fell over Thompson’s body on the ground. It is alleged that Thompson then stood up and lunged at police, forcing officers to use their batons to repel the attack.
Thompson, with another rioter’s assistance, forcefully backed into a police officer, pushing the officer toward the Capitol and against the side of an elevated platform on the West Plaza. Body-worn camera footage then captured Thompson reaching toward a police officer before being grabbed by a Capitol Police officer.
Video footage captured Thompson entering a passageway to the interior of the Capitol building known as the tunnel, which the U.S. Attorney General’s Office identified as the site of “some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement” on Jan. 6. Thompson entered the tunnel as other rioters hurled objects at officers, including a large construction marker. It is alleged that Thompson then immediately joined rioters in a coordinated effort to break through the police line by rocking their bodies and using their collective force to push against the officers in the tunnel. After several minutes, Thompson left.
Identifying Thompson
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Sacramento and Washington Field Offices. Thompson is suspected to be the man pictured in photographs labeled “#292 – AFO,” referring to assault on a federal officer, on the FBI’s webpage that seeks to identify people captured perpetrating violence during the insurrection.
The FBI agent assigned to the Sacramento Field Office received a tip with a link to Thompson’s family blog dedicated to their travels, according to court documents.
Flight records show that Thompson traveled from Sacramento International Airport to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, with a layover in San Francisco. He returned to Sacramento on Jan. 7. These travel plans are corroborated by a Facebook photo of Thompson at SFO airport on Jan. 5 with the hashtag #dcbound in the caption.
Just weeks ago, Thompson ran a dual campaign with fellow candidate Su Sheth for a seat on the Eureka Union board. According to social media posts, Thompson and Sheth, who were running for two separate board positions, canvassed neighborhoods together and ran a self-funded campaign.
Thompson campaigned on the promise of providing more balls for students to play with at recess. Many of his Instagram posts include the hashtag #moreballsforkids.
Thompson lost his three-way election to incumbents Tyler Holt and Renee Nash, coming in last with 23% of the vote. Sheth lost to incumbent Matthew Dahlstrom. Both candidates were endorsed by the Placer County Republican Party.
