I take all assaults on my nation personally, but in this case even more so...
Law & Crime
Thomas Webster, a 20-year veteran of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) as well as a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, was unable to convince a judge that his decades of public service were enough to keep him out of jail on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old had been wanted by the FBI since late last month after he was allegedly caught on video attacking a police officer and storming a barricade during the Jan. 6 pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Complex. Webster turned himself in on Monday.
(snip)
“Webster, like so many other people that day, was caught on video engaging in an assault against a police officer with a dangerous weapon.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Gianforte argued. That weapon, previously described by the media as some kind of a “pipe,” was actually an “aluminum pole” that was previously holding a U.S. Marine Corps flag, the government noted.
The full criminal complaint can be read here.
New York Times
A retired New York police officer who once was part of the security detail at City Hall was charged on Tuesday with assaulting a police officer with a metal flagpole during the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The former officer, Thomas Webster, served in a New York Police Department unit that provided security for the mayor, Gracie Mansion and City Hall, according to a law enforcement official. He retired from the force in 2011.
(snip)
Ultimately, the judge said that the “undercurrent of political hostility” that appeared to have led a person with a previously exemplary life to act in a violent manner had not dissipated, and Mr. Webster could still be considered a threat to public safety. He ordered him held without bail pending another hearing.
From hero to zero...
WNBC
Webster was seen in body camera footage carrying a large metal flagpole with a red U.S. Marines flag attached to it, according to a criminal complaint. It alleges that Webster berated a Capitol police officer with a curse-laden diatribe, as he "aggressively" shoved a metal barricade into the officer and armed himself with the metal rod.
The alleged rioter then brings the flagpole above his head and swings it downward, striking the metal barrier right in front of the officer, the complaint reads. Webster then attempted to attack the officer by lunging toward him with the flagpole, striking the cop several times, according to the criminal complaint.
The cop is eventually able to wrestle the pole away from Webster, and begins retreating further behind the barricades. But that doesn't stop the attack, the papers allege, as Webster breaks through the barriers and charges right at the officer with "clenched fists." He lunges again at the law enforcement officer and tackles him to the ground, where Webster allegedly attacks him for 10 seconds, the complaint reads.
This guy really has me ticked off, so having to dispel misinformation about him in the comments is more than a little irritating...
Thomas Webster DID NOT receive a dishonorable discharge from the USMC. To make matters worse, the source for that FAKE NEWS is THIS DAILY KOS DIARY from this afternoon!
Furthermore Thomas Webster DID NOT try to gouge out the eyes of an officer during the insurrection despite what you read in RAW STORY’s clickbait article published earlier today.
The criminal complaint states that: “In these open source images, WEBSTER can be seen pinning N.R. to the ground and straddling him while he tries to forcibly remove N.R.’s faceshield and gas mask.”
I’m all for seeing these bastards get what’s coming to them, but we need to have our facts straight. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet...