Upstate New York man pleads guilty to assaulting police in Jan. 6 Capitol riot
An upstate New York man pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting Washington, D.C. police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
James Weeks, 55, of Sodus, New York, just east of Rochester, copped to charges of assault and resisting police officers in federal court in Washington.
Surveillance video captured Weeks entering a tunnel at the Capitol built under a platform for the presidential inauguration about 3 p.m. that day. He approached the police line as fighting between rioters and cops erupted.
He reached through a broken pane of glass in a door of the building to grab a D.C. police officer.
“Shove it up your a–! You fat f–k! I’m gonna shove that up your a–!” Weeks allegedly yelled. “We’re gonna f–k you up!”
Weeks pushed the door open and rioters flooded in. He later struck a police officer, but was then sprayed with pepper spray by another rioter and fled the tunnel.
Weeks then entered a courtyard on the northwest side of the Capitol and joined rioters trying to break into the building there. He sprayed pepper spray through one of the broken window panes and struck the window with a wooden stick causing more panes to break.
He was arrested Feb. 1 in Albany by FBI agents. Weeks is slated for sentencing on Sept. 27.
The Justice Department said since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,450 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Jay Johnston, an actor who appeared in “Bob’s Burgers” and other shows, agreed to plead guilty in California. He was caught on video helping other rioters push past police officers in the tunnel and giving water to rioters.
On Wednesday, reputed “Proud Boys” member Troy Garrett was arrested in Florida. He was accused of assaulting police officers and being among a group of rioters who pushed a large sign with the message “TRUMP 2020 KEEP AMERICA GREAT!” into a line of cops eventually breaking through that line.
In May, another New York man, Troy Weeks, 38, of Greenville, south of Albany, pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers at the Capitol, also in the tunnel. It’s not clear if Troy Weeks and James Weeks are related.
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