A Washington man has been jailed for nearly four years for hitting a cop with a metal baton and hurling a speaker at officers during an 'hours-long' involvement in the January 6 riots.
Devlyn Thompson, 28, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting a police officer earlier this year after he smashed a pepper spray canister from an officer's hand with a metal baton during the Capitol riot.
Thompson also attempted to throw a speaker at cops - missing and instead hitting a fellow rioter - during the riot.
At trial he claimed he had not realized what he was doing because he has autism spectrum disorder and the social understanding of a child.
But Thompson spent 'hours' at the Capitol during the riot and was part of a mob that seized riot shields from police officers during the pro-Trump riot, the court heard.
Rioters breached the Capitol on January 6 during a 'Stop the Steal' rally which claimed Donald Trump had won the election as Congress met to count electoral votes and certify Joe Biden's presidential election win.
Devlyn Thompson, 28, (pictured at the Capitol on January 6, 2021) has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for assaulting a police officer during the January 6 Capitol riot in Washington
Devlyn Thompson attempted to throw a speaker at cops - missing and instead hitting a fellow rioter - before smashing a pepper spray canister from an officer's hand with a metal baton during the Capitol riot earlier this year
Rioters breached the Capitol on January 6 during a 'Stop the Steal' rally which claimed Donald Trump had won the election as Congress met to count electoral votes and certify Joe Biden's presidential election win
During sentencing District Judge Royce Lamberth said Thompson 'deserved credit' for cooperating with police but that it was not a significant enough factor to 'justify' going below sentencing guidelines.
'The violence that happened that day was such a blatant disregard to the institutions of government,' he said, describing the riot as 'an attack on the very rule of law in our country.'
'You didn't just come up and sock a guy in the face... You're shoving and pushing...and participating in this riot for hours.'
Thompson's had defense argued he had diminished responsibility because, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and with the social understanding of a child, he did not realize what he was doing.
According to court documents, Thompson's attorney wrote: 'In contrast to individuals who planned to change the election results by storming the Capitol building with brute force, Mr. Thompson's understanding of what was happening was naive and inaccurate.'
Thompson also apologized for his actions in a letter to the officer, describing his behaviour as 'inexcusable'.
'I'm deeply sorry for the danger that you were put in on behalf of my recklessness,' he wrote.
Violent pro-Trump protesters carrying 'Trump 2020' flags breach the Capitol as they try to stop Congress certifying Joe Biden's presidency on January 6, 2021
Pro-Trump rioters seen on and around Capitol building on January 6. Rioters broke windows and breached the Capitol building in an attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 election
Thompson is the second rioter to be sentenced for a felony, by more than 140 others face the same charge for their involvement in the January 6 attack.
He also received one of the longest sentences yet handed down to a January 6 rioter behind Robert Palmer who on Friday was sentenced to five years and three months for repeatedly assaulting police officers.
Palmer, 54, of Tampa, Florida, attacked cops with a fire extinguisher, a wooden plank and a pole.
And last month, the bare-chested face of the Capitol riot Jacob Chansley, 34, nicknamed the 'QAnon Shaman' was jailed for 41 months.
Violent insurrections loyal to President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on January 6
Pro-Trump protesters clash with police during a January 6 riot to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election by the US Congress
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