Jul 13, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Capitol rioter who shoved officer with Confederate flag sentenced to 5 months

Julia Shapero

Trump supporters stand on a U.S. Capitol Police armored vehicle as others take over the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress works to certify the Electoral College votes. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

A federal judge sentenced a Capitol rioter from Maryland who shoved a police officer with a makeshift Confederate flag to 5 months in prison on Wednesday, according to the Justice Department.

Driving the news: David Alan Blair, 27, shoved a police officer in the chest with a lacrosse stick attached to a Confederate flag during the riot. He pleaded guilty in March to a charge of interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder.

The judge also sentenced Blair to 18 months of supervised release after his sentence and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors had sought eight months in prison for Blair, and three years of supervised release thereafter, according to AP. Blair's attorney had sought a sentence of probation.

The big picture: More than 800 people have been charged with federal crimes over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to the DOJ. Several rioters brought Confederate flags to the riot.

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Capitol rioter who shoved officer with Confederate flag sentenced to 5 months

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