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A Tennessee antheral who dragged a constabulary serviceman into a mob of rioters, initiating 1 of the astir harrowing acts of unit during the U.S. Capitol attack, was sentenced connected Thursday to much than 7 years successful prison.
Albuquerque Cosper Head declined to code the tribunal earlier U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 7 years and six months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release. The justice said Head was liable for “some of the darkest acts committed connected 1 of our nation’s darkest days.”
Head's situation condemnation is six months shy of the statutory maximum successful his case. It's besides the second-longest truthful acold among hundreds of cases arising from the Capitol siege connected Jan. 6, 2021, erstwhile a mob of Trump supporters stormed the gathering arsenic Congress prepared to certify President Joe Biden's electoral victory.
“The acheronian shadiness of tyranny unluckily has not gone away,” Jackson said. “There are radical who are inactive disseminating the prevarication that the predetermination was stolen. They’re doing it today. And the radical who are stoking that choler for their ain selfish purposes, they request to deliberation astir the havoc they’ve wreaked, the lives they’ve ruined.”
Head engaged successful immoderate of the astir barbaric unit during the Capitol riot, repeatedly assaulting constabulary officers who were guarding a passageway connected the Lower West Terrace, according to prosecutors.
Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone was connected the beforehand lines of the conflict for power of the passageway entranceway erstwhile Head grabbed him. Head yelled “I’ve got one!" arsenic helium wrapped his arms astir Fanone's cervix and dragged him into the assemblage extracurricular the tunnel, prosecutors said.
“He was your prey. He was your trophy,” Jackson told Head, 43.
Head restrained Fanone portion different rioters bushed and shocked the serviceman with a stun weapon astatine the basal of his skull. Fanone mislaid consciousness during the assault, which his assemblage camera captured connected video.
"Although Head was separated from Officer Fanone successful the moments that followed, Head would person been capable to perceive the dependable of the taser being activated again, Officer Fanone’s screams of agony, and the yells from different rioter to ‘Kill him with his ain gun!’” prosecutors wrote successful a tribunal filing.
During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Fanone said the onslaught gave him a bosom onslaught and a traumatic encephalon wounded and yet outgo him his career. He has written a publication astir his Jan. 6 acquisition and testified astatine a hearing held by the House committee investigating the insurrection.
“I would commercialized each of this attraction to instrumentality to policing, but I can't bash that,” helium said. “And the catalyst for my nonaccomplishment of vocation and the suffering that I've endured successful the past 18 months is Albuquerque Head.”
Other rioters person been charged with assaulting Fanone, including Kyle Young, an Iowa antheral who grabbed Fanone by the wrist portion others yelled, “Kill him!” and “Get his gun!” Jackson sentenced Young past period to 7 years and 2 months successful prison.
Daniel “D.J.” Rodriguez, a California antheral charged with utilizing the stun weapon connected Fanone, is scheduled to spell connected proceedings successful February 2023. Thomas Sibick, a riot suspect from New York, is charged with stealing the officer's badge and constabulary vigor during the melee.
Head, a operation idiosyncratic from Kingsport, Tennessee, was arrested successful April 2021 and pleaded blameworthy to an battle complaint successful May 2022. He has a transgression grounds that includes astir 45 erstwhile arrests.
Prosecutors recommended a situation condemnation of 8 years, the statutory maximum condemnation that helium faced.
Fanone besides asked the justice to enforce the maximum sentence. He recalled however Head initially told him, “I’m going to effort to assistance you retired here. You perceive me?” earlier shouting that helium “got one.”
“I would inquire you to amusement Mr. Head the aforesaid mercy that helium showed maine connected January 6th, which, successful lawsuit there's immoderate question successful this courtroom, is none,” Fanone said.
Head's attorney, Nicholas Wallace, requested a five-year situation sentence.
“There is nary grounds that Mr. Head made beforehand plans with overmuch effort oregon that helium came to D.C. prepared for a battle. His bid of atrocious decisions, arsenic outlined above, portion serious, is acold from the worst behaviour that day,” Wallace wrote.
Head told FBI agents that helium drove to Washington, D.C., to be the “Stop the Steal” rally, wherever then-President Donald Trump addressed a assemblage of supporters. Joining the mob astatine the tunnel, Head wielded a riot shield arsenic a limb and utilized a 2nd shield to shove against Fanone and different officers, according to prosecutors.
“When Officer Fanone utilized his manus to brace himself connected the doorframe successful the midst of the struggle, Head struck the officer’s manus with his ain hand, causing the serviceman to suffer his grip connected the doorframe,” prosecutors wrote.
After helium pulled Fanone into the crowd, Head became separated from the officer. When others successful the assemblage surrounded Fanone to support him from his assailants, Head repeatedly reached toward the serviceman and tried to drawback him again, prosecutors said. Fanone's assemblage camera showed him collapsing aft his protectors escorted him backmost to the constabulary line.
Fanone's spouse tried to revive him, saying, “Come on, Mike. Come on, buddy. We’re going duck hunting soon.”
Regaining consciousness aft astir 2 and a fractional minutes, Fanone asked, “Did we instrumentality that doorway back?”
“The courageousness and sacrifice that Officer Fanone showed connected that time is incredible, and we beryllium him a indebtedness of gratitude for what helium has lost," Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Gardner told the judge.
Approximately 900 radical person been charged with national crimes for their behaviour connected Jan. 6. More than 430 of them person pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses. Over 300 person been sentenced, with astir fractional getting presumption of imprisonment ranging from 7 days to 10 years, according to an AP reappraisal of tribunal records.
More than 100 constabulary officers were injured astatine the Capitol. Around 20 defendants person been sentenced for assaulting constabulary connected Jan. 6, the Justice Department says.
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For afloat sum of the Capitol riot, spell to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege
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