David Dempsey was sentenced on Friday after attacking police officers at the U.S. Capitol during the 2021 riot.
A rioter from the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday after he used flag poles, pepper spray and other makeshift weapons to repeatedly attack police officers guarding the building.
David Dempsey, a 37-year-old Californian, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of assaulting police officers with a dangerous weapon following what the sentencing judge called his « egregious » actions three years prior.
On January 6, 2021, a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in a failed attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. The riot erupted following claims from Trump that the 2020 election was stolen via widespread voter fraud, despite there being no evidence to back up such claims. The former president faces four felony charges for his alleged actions surrounding the Capitol attack, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.
During the riot, Dempsey swung several types of poles, including a flagpole, at police officers guarding a tunnel leading to the Capitol building.
