St. Louis Cardinals super fan ‘Rally Runner’ faces felony, other charges in Capitol riot
A St. Louis Cardinals super fan known as “Rally Runner” faces felony and other charges for allegedly using a police shield to help rioters push police back at a Capitol entrance during the Jan. 6 riot.
Daniel Donnelly Jr., 43, is charged with civil disorder, a felony; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings; and theft of government property, all misdemeanors.
Donnelly is the 32nd Missourian to be charged in connection with the riot and the seventh from the state to be arrested since mid-June.
He was charged Monday and arrested Wednesday in St. Louis, court records show. He made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and was released on a personal recognizance bond.
The arrest comes as the massive Capitol riot investigation has picked up the pace, more than 2½ years after the Jan. 6 breach. The arrest tally now stands around 1,100, on charges ranging from demonstrating in a Capitol building to seditious conspiracy.
Court documents say authorities identified Donnelly — his face painted red — through video footage showing the mob of rioters at the Lower West Terrace tunnel entrance to the Capitol. He was wearing sunglasses, a red “Keep America Great” cap, red jacket, red pants or shorts and red socks.
Donnelly could be seen making his way through the crowd and into the tunnel, the documents say. As he moved through the mob, the records show, he helped pass a ladder into the tunnel.
About 4:10 p.m., Donnelly obtained a police riot shield and eventually made it to the front of the crowd at the tunnel entrance.
“Law enforcement officers attempted to push rioters back to secure the tunnel, yelling at rioters to move back and waving at them to do so,” the documents say. “Various rioters surged forward to attack the law enforcement officers. Donnelly continued to hold the line as rioters sprayed chemical irritants, threw items, and screamed at law enforcement officers.”
Donnelly held the shield up to the officers, the documents say, forming a wall with shields raised up by other rioters.
“Moments later, other rioters, using Donnelly as a shield, lunged past him to attack law enforcement officers. Donnelly continued to hold his position just inches away from the confrontation,” the documents say.
“Rioters continued to push forward as a group, with Donnelly in the lead. A video showed Donnelly at the front of the line using the shield to aid in the advancement of the rioters by pushing law enforcement officers back.”
Donnelly eventually lost the shield when more officers arrived at the tunnel and started forcing rioters out, the documents say.
“Law enforcement officers pushed Donnelly out of the tunnel area after about 10 minutes. Donnelly put his fist and arm up in the air when exiting the tunnel, appearing to encourage the group.”
Later that day, the court records say, Donnelly posted a 26-minute video on his Facebook page, admitting he was at the Capitol.
In the video, according to the court documents, Donnelly says, “I get a riot shield, and I’m not trying to cause any violence, but I’m trying to be the furthest person to get through all the way, or at least get the furthest.”
The documents say Donnelly then added: “I took up a lot of space, and I had the rioter shield, and I was right up there, and for some reason, like, the other people up there on the front lines with me, they did something similar.... It’s like they followed my lead, kind of, and it turned out to be a great strategy because the whole crowd was doing that, was able to push further than we had gotten the whole time, the entire time.”
Donnelly said the rioters pushed police “all the way into the doors,” according to the documents.
“It was working until more cops showed up,” the documents quote Donnelly as saying. “I’m right at the front of it and got through those doors into the Capitol, and that’s when reinforcements came.”
According to the court records, Donnelly said officers were “shooting rubber bullets, tear gas, and mace” and that “the burning of the mace was horrible, I mean my skin is already sensitive so I think it affected me more than others, but I withstood it pretty well and I was like even when I was inside and I was breathing it in I was like alright I can handle this, this isn’t that bad, I’m not going to let this detour me.” He then said, “I got further than anyone, I literally got further than anyone. I helped us get that far.”
Authorities interviewed Donnelly at his home on Jan. 11, 2021.
“Donnelly admitted to law enforcement officers that he was at the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the documents said. “He stated the crowd was passing around riot shields and he ended up getting a shield.”
The court documents don’t say why it took 2½ years after interviewing Donnelly to file charges against him.
Donnelly now goes by a different name, the documents say.
“It appears from a recent review of Daniel Donnelly Jr.’s DMV records he changed his legal name to Rally Runner.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 11:49 AM.
