Inset: Peter Schwartz (Nueces County Jail). Background: Peter Schwartz appears to use pepper spray during the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, D.C. (FBI).
Peter Schwartz, a high-profile Jan. 6 defendant who received a pardon from President Donald Trump, has been taken into custody again—this time in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Federal court records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Schwartz, 53, faces one federal count of possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. The Corpus Christi Police Department also lists allegations of driving with a suspended license, possessing a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon.
Schwartz was convicted in December 2022 on nine of the 11 charges stemming from his conduct during the pro-Trump attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was among the earliest Jan. 6 defendants convicted of assaulting law enforcement with a “chemical irritant.” His 14-year sentence became the longest prison term imposed on a Jan. 6 defendant.
Trump pardoned Schwartz in January 2025. Two months later, in March, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., dismissed the case.
That legal reprieve was short-lived. As of Tuesday, a federal magistrate judge had ordered Schwartz held without release while he awaits trial on the new firearm charge.
The latest case began the night of July 14, when Corpus Christi police received a report of a dangerous traffic incident near Bob Hall Pier, according to a federal complaint prepared by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The caller reportedly told police that a driver was doing donuts around the caller’s truck. When the caller approached, the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun. The complaint describes the vehicle as a silver Chevrolet pickup with chrome wheels, a flaming-skull decal on the rear window and a female passenger. The driver was described as a tattooed white man, and the caller provided police with the truck’s license plate.
Investigators allege that Schwartz was behind the wheel.
Later that evening, U.S. park rangers located the pickup at Padre Island National Seashore after local police issued a “be on the lookout,” or BOLO, alert.
According to the charging document, the occupants were told they were being detained but declined to provide their identities.
The complaint says Schwartz’s license had been invalidated because of prior DUI-related refusals. A ranger also allegedly noticed a strong smell of alcohol on Schwartz’s breath, slurred speech and an argumentative demeanor during the encounter.
Rangers searching the truck reportedly discovered an open container of Miller Lite, a small bag containing suspected cocaine, two loaded handguns and alleged drug paraphernalia. The items included a small mirror and three straws that investigators believed contained cocaine residue, the complaint states.
An ATF agent later located a Facebook account believed to belong to Schwartz. The profile allegedly included recent beach photographs in which he posed with firearms beside what authorities identified as the same pickup truck. In one image, Schwartz reportedly wore a shirt featuring a gun and the phrase “stay strapped or get clapped.”
The federal complaint also describes what investigators characterize as a recurring interest in firearms, reflected through photographs and social media posts.
“Within the last two months Schwartz has had other photos of himself in front of the truck with a pistol in his hand, posted on June 2, 2026, and June 27, 2026, along with a photo of himself at Walmart looking at ammunition posted on June 29, 2026,” the complaint continues.
The last time the defendant posed with and posted a photo of himself with a gun was earlier this month, according to the ATF.
“The pistol was within a holster on his waist; this pistol is different than the two firearms he was arrested with prior,” the agent wrote.
Schwartz was arrested on Sept. 9.
On Sept. 15, U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie Hampton found probable cause to keep him detained, citing the evidence against him, his lack of a stable residence and employment, and various other factors.
The post Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump arrested again after ‘doing donuts’ on the beach around 911 caller’s truck and posing with guns, feds say first appeared on Law & Crime.
