Thomas Webster, who claims to have defended himself by swinging a metal flagpole against police and hitting one on the ground by strangling him with a chin strap, was convicted by a jury on all six charges after approximately two hours of debate. .
The 56-year-old former New York City police officer and former Marine faces up to 20 years in prison for assaulting DC officer Noah Rathban. Webster is the fourth rebel to be convicted by a jury on Jan. 6 and the first to be convicted by a jury in a police raid.
“This case is outrageous,” one of the prosecutors, Brian Kelly, said in his closing remarks on Friday.
Kelly told the jury that while Webster “wanted to accuse Officer Ratban,” Webster was the first to attack Ratban, and Webster crossed police lines to deal with the officer.
“His actions speak for themselves,” Kelly concluded, asking the jury to find Webster guilty of all charges, including assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer with a dangerous weapon.
Webster’s lawyer, James Monroe, claims that Webster acted only in self-defense after being hit by Rathban.
“Will we accept the illegal behavior of the police?” Monroe asked the jury. “We’re dealing with a bad cop,” he told Rathban, adding that Webster “knows what a bad cop looks like” from the NYPD for two decades.
This is the first time a Capitol rebel has said he has defended himself. In other related cases, jurors have previously rejected attempts by defendants to shift blame to then-President Donald Trump. Most of the cases from January 6 that have gone to trial so far have led to convictions.
The lawsuit for self-defense did not gain popularity among jurors.
Doris Spruel, a juror, told reporters after the sentencing that they “have reviewed all the evidence … and believe there is no reason for self-defense. I think the video clearly shows that.”
Asked about Webster’s testimony, Spruel said she “doesn’t think it’s credible.”
“The case presented by the government was very comprehensive,” said another juror, adding that he felt “quite comfortable with the sentence” and that the jury did not find Webster’s testimony convincing.
“It was very fast and very obvious,” said another juror.
While prosecutors demanded that Webster be locked up immediately, Mehta allowed Webster to remain in 24-hour house arrest with an ankle monitor, the solution he said was a “close call.”
Webster, who sat motionless at the time of his sentence, left the District of Columbia courtroom, holding a flip phone to his ear and not speaking to reporters.
“This is a difficult day for Tom Webster and his family,” Monroe said. “Today we will think a little about the outcome and decide where to go next.”
This story has been updated with the comment of the jurors.
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