Florida man who attacked 3 officers with flagpole on Jan. 6 sentenced

A Florida man whom prosecutors said attacked three law enforcement officers with a flagpole during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Thursday to 48 months in prison, the Department of Justice announced.

The big picture: Michael Steven Perkins, 40, of Plant City, "helped a co-defendant in an attempt to charge and break through a police line by pushing him from behind into the line" at the U.S. Capitol after attending a pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6, 2021, per a DOJ statement.

• "As police descended into the crowd to assist another officer, Perkins picked up a flagpole and thrust it into the chest of an approaching officer," according to DOJ.
• "Perkins then raised the flagpole over his head and swung it down, striking two officers in the back of their heads," added the statement, which noted he spent "at least three hours in the restricted Capitol grounds" during the insurrection.

Of note: Both Perkins and his co-defendant Joshua Christopher Doolin, 25, of Lakeland, Florida, who was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in prison, were found guilty earlier this year over the attack.

Zoom in: Perkins was convicted of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and civil disorder, both felony offenses, and of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and acts of physical violence while on the restricted Capitol ground.

• Doolin was convicted of civil disorder, a felony, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and theft of government property, according to the DOJ.

What's next: Both Perkins and Doolin must also serve 36 months of supervised release.

Zoom out: In the 31 months since the insurrection, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Go deeper: More than 1,100 people have now faced Jan. 6 criminal charges