John Banuelos, a 40-year-old man from Utah who was previously pardoned by President Trump after being charged for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, has been arrested again. This time, he faces serious allegations of kidnapping and sexual assault stemming from a violent incident three years prior to the Capitol unrest.
Authorities announced Banuelos’s arrest on October 17, 2023, as he exited a fast food establishment in Chicago, where he was utilizing a rideshare service. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that a warrant for Banuelos’s arrest had been issued in Salt Lake City on October 1. He is charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault for an incident that allegedly occurred in June 2018.
According to court documents revealed by CBS, Banuelos is accused of luring a woman to his home under the pretense of hosting a party. Once she arrived, the situation turned violent. The victim, identified as “S.J.” in legal filings, reported that Banuelos assaulted her almost immediately, striking her in the face while threatening to kill her. The documents further indicate that he grabbed her by the shirt and forcefully threw her to the ground, resulting in her hitting her head.
The assault escalated with Banuelos reportedly sexually accosting the woman, which involved aggressive kissing and punches to her head. When S.J. attempted to defend herself by striking back, Banuelos reportedly became enraged, removing her clothing and throwing her across the room. In a terrifying escalation, he choked her, applying a force level described as a “10 out of 10” for several seconds, as the victim recalled fearing for her life during the attack.
Banuelos had previously gained notoriety for his actions during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. He became the sole individual accused of brandishing and firing a gun among the crowd that day. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, CCTV footage captured him scaling the southwest scaffolding of the Inaugural stage at approximately 2:23 p.m. He was seen waving at the gathered crowd before drawing a firearm from his waistband and firing two shots into the air. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries due to the gunfire.
The fallout from the Capitol riot led to various charges against Banuelos, including both felony and misdemeanor counts. However, following Trump’s pardoning of individuals charged in connection with the January 6 incidents, his case was dismissed. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over the earlier hearings, stated, “No pardon can change the tragic truth of what happened on January 6, 2021,” emphasizing the gravity of the events surrounding the riot.
Following his recent arrest in Chicago, Banuelos is currently held at the Cook County Jail while awaiting further legal proceedings regarding the assault charges. The community is left to grapple with the implications of both his past actions during the Capitol riot and the serious allegations of violence now facing him.
As legal processes unfold, Banuelos’s recent arrest has reignited discussions about accountability among those connected to the January 6 events, highlighting the ongoing ramifications these actions have on victims and society at large. Authorities are continuing their investigations as they prepare for the forthcoming judicial actions against Banuelos for the alleged crimes committed in 2018.
