‘Coolest thing I’ve ever done’: Florida Jan. 6 rioter gave cop a concussion, bragged about it on Instagram

Rachel Tucker
·4 min read
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man will spend over two years in prison for assaulting a Capitol police officer on Jan. 6, leaving her with a concussion.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Daniel Gray, 43, of Jacksonville worked as a former mixed martial arts instructor and bartender before he landed behind bars.

On Dec. 12, 2020, Gray told his Facebook followers that he and fellow supporters of former President Donald Trump were heading to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to “shut the entire city down,” court records state.

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Court documents show Gray made the following statements on Dec. 12:

  • “Militia finna be lit y’all!!!”

  • “Bro I just joined the militia.”

  • “Here is the move y’all. If they intend to certify a false election it’s gonna have to be to our faces.”

  • “the only day that matters is the 20th. On the 6th a f—— s— ton of us are going to Washington to shut the entire city down. It’s gonna be insane I literally can’t wait.”

He also posted a screenshot of the Wikipedia page for the Insurrection Act of 1807 and captioned it, “S–t’s about to get lit y’all. I’m actually really excited at the possibility of the insurrection act being implemented.”

<em>Gray confronts police at the Capitol (DOJ)</em>
Gray confronts police at the Capitol (DOJ)

On Jan. 6, Gray “engaged in confrontations” with police as they tried to prevent the crowd from entering the Capitol Rotunda. He pushed through to the front of the mob, where he was captured on police body camera video approaching officers and shoving them.

The crowd pushed the police line toward a marble staircase, where an officer, identified in court documents as Officer M.B., stepped back from the crowd after being sprayed with a “chemical irritant.” Her body camera footage showed Gray approach her, grab her baton and shove her backwards.

“Officer M.B. then lost her balance and fell down the Western Rotunda stairs for several
seconds,” the criminal complaint stated. “Officer M.B. was visibly injured and fellow officers carried her outside to ask fellow officers for assistance.”

The fall left Officer M.B. with a concussion and chronic back pain.

<em>Officer M.B. after falling down the stairs (DOJ)</em>
Officer M.B. after falling down the stairs (DOJ)

Gray continued pushing police officers, along with a large group of rioters, until they broke through the line and reached an atrium that led to congressional offices. Police pushed the mob out of the atrium and out of the Capitol building shortly after.

“Dude we literally took congress over,” Gray wrote in a message. “I don’t wanna say too much more lol was the rowdiest thing I’ve ever done and you know me lol.”

Gray showed back up at the Capitol the next morning and was detained by police in a parking lot in response to a BOLO (be on the lookout). They let him go about 45 minutes later.

<em>Gray detained by police on Jan. 7, 2021 (DOJ)</em>
Gray detained by police on Jan. 7, 2021 (DOJ)

On Jan. 8, Gray posted a 4-minute video to his Instagram where he talked about his experience at the Capitol while walking through an airport. He claimed he “stormed Nancy Pelosi’s office” and tried to reason with the police, saying, “I told them, ‘Hey, stand down there’s too many of us. Go home, go find your wives, go find your kids, you don’t want to do this’.”

He said “a female cop” stole his phone and described “pushing them (the police) down the staircase.” He also mentioned returning to the Capitol on Jan. 7 and getting detained.

“This is far from over,” Gray said in the video. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life and stay tuned.”

Several witnesses tipped off the FBI to Gray’s activities at the Capitol. Days after the attack, he wrote in a message, “If Biden is sworn in Im coming back to fight. But I truly dont believe he will be sworn in.”

Joe Biden was sworn in as President on Jan. 20, 2021 and Gray was arrested four months later in Jacksonville. He pleaded guilty to two felony charges of obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.

On Friday, a federal judge in D.C. handed him a 30-month prison sentence, followed by 36 months of supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution.

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