Seattle man sentenced to 46 months for assaulting police during January 6 Capitol Riot
(Devlyn Thompson, Image credit: Twitter)
On December 20, a Washington State man was sentenced to 46 months behind bars for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, a violent breach that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
According to court documents, Devlyn Thompson, 28, of Seattle, was among individuals in a crowd on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol who were pushing against and assaulting Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers in the tunnel leading into the U.S. Capitol. Thompson and others in the tunnel yelled obscenities at police and encouraged the continued assault. Thompson was part of a group that threw objects and projectiles at the officers, including flag poles, and grabbed and stole the officers’ riot shields to prevent them from defending themselves against the violence.
The 28-year-old is the second Jan. 6 rioter to be sentenced for assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon. The first, Robert Palmer, received a 63-month sentence last week. ~ Yahoo! News
At approximately 2:21 p.m., Thompson personally observed police order rioters to stop, physically push the crowd back, and deploy pepper spray in an effort to try to stop the ongoing assault. Later, Thompson entered a tunnel on the West Front Terrace that led to an entrance to the U.S. Capitol, where members of Congress were sheltering in place. Thompson joined rioters in that tunnel and assisted other rioters in their assault of officers by helping them seize and use stolen law enforcement shields for approximately 13 minutes.
Thompson also helped throw a large speaker at the front line of officers, and he later picked up a metal baton from the floor of the tunnel and swung it overhead and downward against the police line in an apparent effort to knock a can of pepper spray from an officer’s hand and stop the officer from pepper-spraying the rioters. After more pepper spray was deployed by the rioters and the officers, Thompson retreated from the archway area.
Thompson pleaded guilty on August 6 in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers while using a dangerous weapon. Thompson was arrested on that same date and has been in custody ever since.
Judge Royce C. Lamberth also ordered him today to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve a period of three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI’s Seattle Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The FBI’s Washington Field Office identified Thompson as #67 in its seeking information photos.
In the 11 months since January 6, more than 700 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 220 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
“Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.“
For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
