56-year-old NYPD Veteran Thomas Webster served 20 years in NYPD. He has been charged with assaulting an officer in the capital riot.
Thomas Webster, a 20-year NYPD veteran who retired in 2011 after 20 years on the force, was charged with an assault. He was found guilty of assaulting an officer flagpole.
He was the first Capitol riot defendant to face an assault charge and make a self-defense argument to a jury.
On Monday, a federal jury found an NYPD veteran guilty of assaulting an officer during the riot at the United States Capitol.
Who Is NYPD Veteran Thomas Webster?
NYPD Veteran Thomas Webster has been found guilty of assaulting an officer in the Capital Riot. The court on Monday rejected his claim that he was defending himself when he tackled the officer and grabbed his gas mask.
Thomas is a 20-year NYPD veteran and was the first Capitol riot defendant to face an assault charge on a police officer. He is a Goshen, New York resident.
Webster was wearing a face mask in court and appeared unconcerned about the verdict. He was found guilty of all six charges leveled against him.
Thomas claimed he was defending himself against a “rogue cop” who punched him. On the other hand, Rathbun testified that he didn’t hit or pick a fight with Webster.
He also accused Noah Rathbun, a Metropolitan Police Department officer, of instigating the altercation.
On Jan. 6, 2021, a violent mob attacked the Capitol, preventing Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over then-President Donald Trump.
Conviction Of Assaulting An Officer In Capitol Riot: Thomas Webster Tale.
Thomas Webster of Goshen, N.Y., has been found guilty and faces seven counts in the fourth felony trial stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
His charges include assaulting D.C. police Officer Noah Rathbun with a deadly weapon. The assault offense is punishable by up to 20 years of jail sentence.
Although the previous trials resulted in convictions on all counts, Thomas is the first of 150 defendants charged with assaulting an officer to go to trial. He is the first to argue self-defense.
Webster emerges from the crowd, jabs his finger at officers, and yells obscenities at a line of cops before ramming a metal bike rack barrier into Rathbun.
Thomas swings down a Marine flagpole he was carrying at the bike rack several times and fights the officer to the ground as the crowd surges.
D.C. The police officer pushes him back hard with an open palm to the face. Thomas claims the younger D.C. cop started a fight by beckoning him with a hand gesture out of camera view to say, “C’mon.”
Webster described the blow as “like a freight train,” prompting him to fight back for his safety.