Man gets 7 years in prison for assaulting officer during Capitol riot

A man was sentenced to 86 months in prison for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the U.S. Capitol riot, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

The big picture: Kyle Young, 38, of Redfield, Iowa, was among a group participating in the assault of officers in the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol, the site of some of the heaviest violence during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, per court documents.

• Young was arrested on April 14, 2021, and was subsequently indicted with two co-defendants accused of participating in the same attack.
• He pleaded guilty on May 5, 2022, to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.

Details: Young "aggressively assaulted and harassed a line of dramatically out-numbered" officers inside the Capitol, according to the sentencing memorandum.

• He held a strobe light toward the police line, "pushed forward a stick-like object" and assisted in throwing a large audio speaker toward them, the DOJ said.
• Then, Young and others assaulted an officer who was pulled into the crowd of rioters. Young held the officer’s left wrist and pulled the officer’s arm away from his body, the DOJ said.
• As the violence continued, Young also "made contact with" the helmet of an officer who was pulled into the crowd.

What's next: Following his prison term, Young will be placed on three years of supervised release.

• He must also pay $2,000 in restitution.

By the numbers: More than 870 people have been arrested nationwide for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Go deeper: By the numbers: Jan. 6 one year later