Man Arrested Near Obama Home Entered MoCo School For Jan. 6 Film

TAKOMA PARK, MD — A man arrested near the Washington, D.C., home of former President Barack Obama in connection to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol entered a Montgomery County elementary school last month to view a film related to the riot, according to a Washington Post report.

Taylor Taranto, 37, livestreamed himself attending the film screening at Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park on June 18, according to a Post report citing U.S. prosecutors. Taranto, who was not included on the permit request filed by the group Make America Safe Again, chose the elementary school because it was close to the home of U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat and member of the congressional committee formed to investigate the attack.

In a letter sent to families and obtained by the Post, school principal Christine Oberdorf said district officials are investigating the group's use of the school.

"I understand that such news can be distressing, and I want to assure you that we are taking this matter seriously and prioritizing the safety and security of our students and staff," Oberdorf wrote in the letter.

Taranto was arrested Thursday after he was spotted a few blocks from the former president's home and chased by U.S. Secret Service agents. Court documents unsealed Friday show Taranto is charged with four misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 attack, including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

When he was arrested, Taranto had two guns, 400 rounds of ammunition, and a machete in his van, a federal prosecutor said Friday.

It was not clear whether the Obamas were at their home at the time of his arrest. The explosives team swept Taranto's van and said there were no threats to the public. No one was injured.

After attending then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, Taranto joined rioters on the Upper West Terrace, where he picked up and threw pieces of metal scaffolding, according to court papers.

Taranto entered the Capitol building and was near another rioter, Ashli Babbitt, when a police officer shot and killed her as she climbed through a glass window leading to the House chambers, the FBI said in a court filing. Before he left the building, Taranto and other rioters scuffled with police officers, the filing says.

In a community advisory posted on social media, Takoma Park police confirmed that Make America Safe Again rented the school's cafeteria through the district's Office of Community Use of Public Facilities. Police said the department did not receive or respond to any calls related to a burglary, trespass or suspicious situation at Piney Branch.

"The police department wants to emphasize that there is no active threat against our community at this time," authorities said. "We are always proactively working with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our community."

A spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools did not immediately return Patch's request for comment or additional information.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.