What to know
- Thomas Webster surrendered on Monday at the FBI office in Hudson Valley on charges brought in federal court in Washington, DC, related to the deadly riot at the United States Capitol on January 6.
- Webster, who spent 54 years living in New York raising his three children with his wife, in addition to serving in the Navy, was discharged with honor and had no previous arrests, said his defense attorney.
- This latest development follows a myriad of arrests and charges against several residents of three states in relation to the violent events that occurred at the beginning of last month
A retired New York Police officer who was assigned a term to work on perimeter security at City Hall and at the Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, was accused of using a pipe to attack a United States Capitol officer during the January 6 siege. knowledgeable officials told News 4 on Tuesday.
Thomas Webster surrendered to the FBI office in Hudson Valley on Monday to face charges in the ongoing investigation. A day later, in White Plains federal court, prosecutors said the former US Marine attacked a Capitol police officer with an aluminum mast while holding a Marine Corps flag. Webster then allegedly took off a mask and made the policeman suffocate, prosecutors said.
They described a look of anger on Webster, captured on video, which was the reflection of a man about to unleash the violence. And they accused him of doing just that.
“These videos shock conscience,” said the prosecutor, claiming that Webster “goes after that policeman like a junkyard dog – clenched teeth and clenched fists.”
Webster was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time, which implies he was prepared for physical conflict, prosecutors added. The 20-year-old NYPD veteran brought a gun to Washington, DC, on the day of the siege, prosecutors say. Webster said he dropped him off at the hotel, but he was wearing bulky clothes in the video shared by the FBI. After all, it is against the law to only carry a gun in Washington, DC
“We believe he had a gun on the Capitol and, thank God, he didn’t shoot at that time,” prosecutors said.
Defense attorney James Monroe said Webster went to the United States Capitol to participate in a protest that January day, but was not part of any group or organization. Monroe said his client was hit by the Capitol officer before retaliating; he never fired a shot in his decades-long career with the NYPD.
Monroe said that Webster, who was discharged with honor from the United States Marines and spent the rest of his 50s raising his three children with his wife in New York, went to DC that January day to protest an event at command of the first president of the United States. He has no previous arrests.
The FBI released an image, later identified by law enforcement officers as Webster, as part of its ongoing investigation into the violence last month. When Webster learned that his image had circulated on social media, he went to Monroe, who told him it was best to surrender in a show of good faith.
Webster handed over the weapons he owns of his own accord, along with his pistol license and passport, Monroe said. Webster does not deny that it was the man in the red jacket seen in images and videos released by the FBI, Monroe said. But he said his client has no history of political activism and deserves “fair bail”.
Webster “poses no danger to the community. He did an excellent job as a husband and father,” said Monroe. The lawyer offered to agree to monitor and restrict travel as part of an agreement to keep Webster out of prison until trial. Monroe asked Webster to be released on unsecured bail. He said his client plans to plead not guilty. A judge agreed that Webster was not a flight hazard, but ordered him to be detained without bail for the potential threat he could pose to the community.
FBI agents searched two New York City residents on Thursday over the Capitol disturbance case.
Webster’s arrest is the latest in a series of charges against a growing number of residents from three states in connection with events that occurred earlier last month, when a crowd of supporters of former President Donald Trump invaded the U.S. Capitol .
Almost two months after the siege, the FBI continues to make arrests across the country. Since the violent riot, several residents of three states have been arrested and charged with several crimes related to the deadly event, including a New York sanitation officer, the brother of a retired NYPD officer, an MTA official and an Upper West Community leader.
U.S. Capitol Police captain Carneysha Mendoza gave a fascinating first-hand account of the deadly uprising on January 6, as she testified before two Senate committees on Tuesday. “In the multitude of events I worked on in my almost 19-year career in the department, this was by far the worst of the worst,” said Mendoza.