A former New York City police officer was found guilty on Monday of assaulting a Washington police officer during the US Capitol building raid by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, giving prosecutors yet another victory. at trial, confirmed the Justice Department spokesman.
A federal jury in the District of Columbia rejected Thomas Webster’s arguments, 56, that he was acting in self-defense by hitting the Washington police officer with a flagpole and knocking him to the ground.
A Justice Department spokesman said Webster will be sentenced on Sept. 2.
Webster was the fourth Capitol raid defendant to have his case brought before a popular jury. The Justice Department has secured convictions in all four cases brought to jury so far.
Of those four defendants, Webster was the first to argue that he acted in self-defense.
Webster took the witness stand during the week-long trial and told jurors he had been “provoked” by the officer, who hit him in the face.
“I felt like I was dealing with a fake cop,” Webster said during the trial.
Prosecutors rejected Webster’s defense and portrayed District of Columbia police officer Noah Rathbun as a victim in the episode.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
