A Texas militia member~, who attacked police officers in the U.S. Capitol, one of them, was given a sentence of over five years in jail on Friday.
According to a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss sentenced Donald Hazard to four years and nine months in prison as well as three months of supervised release for his part in the disturbance at the Capitol. The punishment for Hazard, who pled guilty to an assault charge in February, was the same as what federal prosecutors had suggested.
The Patriot Boys of North Texas, a militia, included Hazard, 44, of Hurst, Texas. Hazard was chosen as the group’s sergeant-at-arms by Lucas Denney, the group’s self-declared leader. According to the prosecution, Denney also advised Hazard to stockpile weapons and safety equipment and find more people to join them in Washington, D.C. According to a court document from Justice Department prosecutor Benet Kearney, Hazard was “eager for violence” on Jan. 6 while sporting a tactical vest and a helmet bearing the likeness of the Confederate battle flag.
Following the Capitol, Hazard fought with police as they attempted to disperse the crowd close to some scaffolding on the northwest side of the structure. A Capitol police officer was knocked out cold when Hazard grabbed him and pulled him down some concrete steps. According to the prosecution, that officer underwent treatment for a concussion as well as foot injuries that necessitated repeated operations.
Hazard also hit the skull of a different Capitol Police officer, who then collapsed to the ground. On the west side of the Capitol, Hazard and Denney engaged other cops while brandishing what looked like pepper spray canisters. Prior to being ejected from the Capitol by police, Hazard briefly entered the structure with other rioters.
Hazard raised his arms in a triumphant gesture as he approached the outdoor steps, according to Kearney’s account.
Hazard had no intention of attacking officers, according to defense attorney Ubong Akpan. “His actions were more of a reaction to what he saw that day, as opposed to a plan to attack law enforcement, a group he thought he was similarly situated with,” Akpan said in a court document.
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