Topline
A bloodied rioter and professional butcher who participated in the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for throwing a wooden bow like a spear at a police officer’s head and attacking other members of the police force—in one of the longest sentences for a January 6 rioter.
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they push barricades to storm the US … [+]
Key Facts
Kyle Fitzsimons, 39, of Maine, was sentenced to 87 months, having already served more than two years of the sentence in jail following his arrest.
Fitzsimons was also found guilty last year on 11 counts related to the Capitol attack by federal District Judge Rudolph Contreras, who imposed the new sentence on Thursday.
Testimony and evidence showed Fitzsimons launched a bow at an officer and separately attacked multiple officers, throwing his fists at a group of policemen, pulling the mask off one officer and dragging another to the ground by a strap attached to the officer’s riot shield.
Fitzsimons donned a butcher’s coat embroidered with his first name when he assaulted some of the officers.
Contreras said Fitzsimons “was part of the most violent clashes” on January 6 and attacked officers in a “burst of frenzied fury.”
Fitzsimons told the court before his sentencing: “I apologize to this court, my family, and anyone else I disappointed with my conduct,” before his sentencing.
Big Number
More than 1,000. That’s how many people have been federally charged with crimes linked to the attack on the Capitol, according to the Associated Press.
Key Background
Fitzsimons is part of a growing list of arrested rioters who have been sentenced for their roles in the January 6 attack, which resulted in the injury of more than 100 officers and the destruction of property in and around the Capitol. Approximately 485 people on that list have received sentences, according to Politico. The longest sentence so far belongs to Peter Schwartz, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison in May for attacking officers with pepper spray and a chair. Last year, federal authorities raised their estimate of property damage linked to the attack to $2.73 million.
Tangent
Daniel Lyons Scott, a member of the far-right group Proud Boys, was also sentenced to prison Thursday. The 30-year-old received a five year sentence.
Further Reading
Rioter who hurled bow like a spear at police during Jan. 6 attack gets more than 7 years in prison (Associated Press)
FBI And Homeland Security Dismissed Threats In Lead-Up To January 6, Senate Report Finds (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/07/13/bloodied-butcher-who-launched-bow-like-a-spear-on-jan-6-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison/