Former NYPD officer charged in Capitol riot
A former New York City police officer has been charged with assaulting a U.S. Capitol officer when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building earlier this year.
54-year-old Thomas Webster, also a former Marine, surrendered to authorities in New York on Monday after the FBI sought the public's help to find him.
A federal prosecutor said the married father of three was captured on video attacking a Capitol police officer with a pole and his bare hands, ripping off the officer's protective gear and shouting obscenities.
Webster’s lawyer said he had only been at the Capitol on January 6 to protest, but the federal judge in his case said, “What we see in the video… goes well beyond First Amendment speech and moves into criminal activity."
The federal prosecutor said in response to the footage, “These videos shocked the conscience...a look of pure rage on the defendant’s face. His teeth were gritted.”
More than 200 people have been charged for their roles in the Capitol riot, which left five people dead.
