Cardinals super fan known as Rally Runner pleads guilty to storming Capitol in face paint

WASHINGTON (AP) — A St. Louis Cardinals super fan known as Rally Runner pleaded guilty on Friday to storming the U.S. Capitol while wearing red face paint and red clothes, fueling a baseless conspiracy theory that government plants secretly incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

The 44-year-old Missouri man, who legally changed his name from Daniel Donnelly Jr. to Rally Runner in 2017, used a stolen shield to help other rioters attack police officers at the Capitol.

Rally Runner was wearing red paint on his face, a red jacket and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he stormed the Capitol. He is known in St. Louis for running around the Cardinals’ stadium during baseball games while wearing red clothes and red face paint.

Rally Runner pleaded guilty to civil disorder, a felony punishable by a maximum prison sentence of five years. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb is scheduled to sentence him on July 30.

Tucker Carlson featured him on a December 2021 segment of his now-canceled Fox News show. Carlson showed an image of Rally Runner outside the Capitol as he promoted conspiracy theories that uncharged “agent provocateurs” had infiltrated the mob, HuffPost reported.

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