Florida man pleads guilty to participating in the 2021 US Capitol attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida man pleaded guilty Friday to participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Anthony Sargent, 47, of St. Augustine, pleaded guilty in District of Columbia federal court to a felony count of civil disorder along with six misdemeanor charges, according to court records. He faces up to five years in prison at a Sept. 28 sentencing hearing.

Sargent was arrested in September 2021.

According to court documents, Sargent joined with others in objecting to Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over then-President Donald Trump. A mob stormed the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying election results for Biden over Trump, authorities have said, and five people died in the violence.

According to the criminal complaint, several videos show Sargent attempting to breach the north entrance to the Capitol. He's later seen exiting the building through a cloud of white smoke. Additional video footage shows Sargent twice throwing a rock-like object toward the inner doors of the entrance.

Later that day, Sargent physically separated a law enforcement officer from a rioter and prevented the officer from apprehending the person, prosecutors said.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for alleged crimes related to the Capitol breach, according to officials. More than 350 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.