WASHINGTON – A retired New York Police Department officer is trading his pension for a decade behind bars after a jury found him guilty of savagely attacking a law enforcement officer during the January 6th, 2021, Capitol riot. Thomas Webster, 56, of the village of Florida, New York, received the longest sentence to date for any participant in the insurrection, a clear signal from the courts that assaults on law enforcement will not be tolerated.
The evidence presented at trial painted a disturbing picture of Webster’s actions. He arrived at the Capitol grounds already geared up for a fight – sporting a bulletproof vest and brandishing a large metal flagpole adorned with the U.S. Marine Corps flag. He didn’t just join the mob; he actively escalated the violence, confronting officers defending the Lower West Plaza. Witnesses testified Webster immediately began verbally abusing a Metropolitan Police Department officer, screaming obscenities and challenging him to a physical altercation, demanding the officer “take your sh— off.”
The situation quickly turned physical. Webster shoved the metal barricades into the officer’s body, then swung the flagpole with force, attempting to strike him. When the officer managed to disarm him, Webster smashed through the barricade, tackling the officer to the ground. The attack didn’t stop there. Webster attempted to rip off the officer’s helmet and gas mask, choking him in the process. While the officer struggled for air, other members of the riot joined in, kicking him repeatedly. The officer sustained multiple injuries as a direct result of Webster’s brutal assault.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves minced no words about Webster’s betrayal. “As a former Marine and retired police officer, Thomas Webster could readily see the growing dangers to law enforcement when he and other members of the mob targeted the Capitol on January 6th,” Graves stated. “He chose to escalate the situation, brutally going on the attack. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his repeated attacks of an officer that day.”
Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the particularly egregious nature of Webster’s actions given his background. “As a former police officer and U.S. Marine who took an oath to defend the Constitution… Thomas Webster knew the severity of his actions,” D’Antuono said. “When he assaulted an officer at the U.S. Capitol that day, Mr. Webster betrayed not only his oath but also his fellow law enforcement officers.”
Webster was arrested on February 21, 2021, and found guilty on May 2, 2022, of five felony counts: assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon; obstructing officers during a civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, while carrying a dangerous weapon; engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, while carrying a dangerous weapon, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, while carrying a dangerous weapon. He was also convicted of one misdemeanor, engaging in an act of physical violence in the Capitol building or grounds. The 10-year sentence sends a chilling message: those who attack the guardians of democracy will face severe consequences.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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