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Jan. 6 Gunfire Suspect John Banuelos Charged in Utah Kidnapping and Sexual Assault

The arrest in Illinois follows the dismissal of his Capitol case under President Trump's clemency.

Overview

  • Newly unsealed Salt Lake County records accuse Banuelos of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault tied to a 2018 incident.
  • Prosecutors say an August DNA test linked him to the alleged assault, with court filings describing beating, strangulation and death threats over hours.
  • Cook County investigators arrested him Oct. 17 in Cicero after spotting him near a Burger King and stopping a ride-share car, and he remains jailed in Illinois.
  • In the separate Jan. 6 case, the FBI said video showed him scaling scaffolding and firing two shots into the air, and CBS reports he was the only defendant accused of discharging a gun on Capitol grounds.
  • His federal charges were dismissed after Trump's January clemency, and multiple outlets note he is among several Jan. 6 defendants facing unrelated arrests since the pardons.