(Washington) A retired New York police officer was sentenced Thursday to ten years in prison in Washington for his participation in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the longest sentence handed down to date against a of the attackers.
Posted at 6:35 p.m.
56-year-old Thomas Webster assaulted a police officer with a flag pole and ripped off the gas mask of this official responsible for protecting the Congress building during the riot.
The scene, filmed using a body camera carried by the victim, testified to the violence of these moments and allowed the jury of the federal court in Washington to agree in May on the guilt of Mr. Webster.
The sentence was announced Thursday by Federal Judge Amit Mehta.
“He chose to escalate the situation, brutally […]. Today’s sentence holds him responsible for his repeated attacks on an officer that day,” said Matthew Graves, a prosecutor with the US Department of Justice.
The former police officer, who also served in the Marines, was arrested on February 21, 2021 and convicted by a jury of five misdemeanors three months later, including assaulting police officers using a dangerous weapon.
In the same statement, the Ministry of Justice justifies the severity of the sentence by the former status of Thomas Webster.
“Mr. Webster not only betrayed his oath, but also his fellow law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to protect the public,” said Steven D’Antuono, an FBI official in Washington.
After the assault on January 6, 2021, more than 860 people were arrested.
Former President Donald Trump promised in a broadcast interview Thursday that he intends to pardon all Capitol attackers if he is re-elected to the White House.