The court finds him guilty of six counts of assault and disturbances, after three days of deliberation
A US jury on Monday convicted a retired New York police officer of assault and disorder for his role in the January 6, 2021 riots in Washington, in which a motley and violent mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to stop confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory in November’s presidential election.
Thomas Webster, 56, was found guilty of all six charges of assault and disorder after three days of deliberation. During the trial, the defendant unsuccessfully tried to convince the jury that the police officer he assaulted was the instigator of the brawl and that he was always acting in self-defense. The attacked officer testified that it was difficult for him to breathe when Webster knocked him down and ripped off his gas mask, the NBC network describes.
Webster is the fourth January 6 defendant to face these events in a popular jury trial and the first to be convicted of assault. Before him, it was Dustin Thompson, Thomas Robertson and Guy Refitt, who were found guilty of all charges against them.
So far, more than 775 people have been arrested for their involvement in these January 6, 2021 riots. The FBI has indicated that there are detainees from nearly every one of the country’s fifty states.
The main charge brought by prosecutors is illegally entering a prohibited place, about 640; while the rest of the most recurring charges relate to assault or defiance of authority.
Source: La Verdad
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