WASHINGTON – David Medina, a 34-year-old from Sherwood, Oregon, has been arrested on charges stemming from his involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. This incident interrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
Medina faces a felony charge for obstruction of an official proceeding, along with several misdemeanor charges. These include destruction of government property, unlawful entry into restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
His arrest occurred today in Portland, Oregon, where he subsequently made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
Court documents reveal Medina’s presence in the Capitol, where he was seen attempting to damage a wooden sign labeled “Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi,” outside the Speaker’s office. Images and video footage captured Medina alongside rioters holding up fragments of the broken sign. Additionally, Medina was seen in the Rotunda, waving a ceremonial American Flag likely taken from within the Capitol.
Medina has also appeared to jest about his participation in the riot on social media. In August 2023, he confirmed his identity in a photo taken inside the Rotunda, humorously acknowledging his presence at the event.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, supported by the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. The FBI’s Portland and Washington Field Offices are leading the investigation, with support from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since the Capitol breach, over 1,313 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states, including more than 469 with felonies for assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Investigations into the events of January 6 continue.