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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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