What to know
- Thomas Webster surrendered on Monday at the FBI’s office in Hudson Valley on charges filed in federal court in Washington, DC, in connection with the deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
- Webster, who lived in New York for 54 years to raise his three children with his wife, other than the time he served in the Marines, was honorably discharged and had no previous arrests, his defense attorney said.
- This latest development follows a myriad of arrests and charges against a number of residents of three states in connection with the violent events that took place early last month.
A retired NYPD officer who was assigned for a time to work as a security guard at City Hall and at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s residence, is accused of using a pipe to attack a U.S. Capitol officer. during the siege of 6 January. officials with knowledge of the case told News 4.
Thomas Webster turned himself in to the FBI’s office in Hudson Valley on Monday to face charges in the ongoing investigation. A day later in federal court in White Plains, prosecutors said the former U.S. Navy attacked a Capitol police officer with an aluminum pole while holding a Marine Corps flag. Webster allegedly ripped off a mask and strangled the officer, lawyers said.
They described a rage on Webster, which was captured on video and reflected by a man who wanted to unleash violence. And they accused him of doing exactly that.
“These videos shock the conscience,” the prosecutor said, claiming Webster “walks behind police like a litter dog – clenching his teeth and clenching his fists.”
Webster was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time, indicating he was prepared for physical conflict, prosecutors added. Prosecutors say the 20-year-old NYPD veteran brought a gun to Washington, DC, on the day of the siege. Webster claims he left it in the hotel, but he was wearing bulky clothes in the video footage shared by the FBI. Regardless, it’s against the law to carry only one weapon in Washington, DC
“We believe he had a gun at the Capitol and thank God he did not fire a shot then,” prosecutors said.
Defense attorney James Monroe said Webster went to the U.S. Capitol in January to take part in a protest, but was not part of any group or organization. Monroe said his client was hit by the Capitol officer before taking revenge; he never fired a shot in his decades-long career with the NYPD.
Monroe said Webster, who was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marines and spent the rest of his 50s raising his three children with his wife in New York, went to DC that January to protest during a event commissioned by the former President of the United States. He had no arrests in advance.
The FBI released an image, which was later identified by law enforcement as Webster, as part of their ongoing investigation into the violence last month. When Webster learned that his image had been spread on social media, he went to Monroe, who told him that the best way was to surrender in a show of good faith.
Webster transferred the weapons he owned of his own free will, along with his gun permit and passport, Monroe said. Webster does not deny that he was the man in the red jacket seen in videos and images distributed by the FBI, Monroe said. But he said his client has no history of political activism and deserves a fair bail. ‘
“Webster” poses no danger to the community. He has done an excellent job as husband and father, “Monroe said. The lawyer offered to agree to the monitoring and travel restrictions as part of an agreement to keep Webster out of jail pending trial. Monroe requested that Webster be released on an uninsured mortgage. He said his client intends to plead not guilty. A judge agreed that Webster was not a flight risk, but ordered that he be held without bail because of the potential threat he could pose to the community.
FBI agents on Thursday searched two New York City residents over the Capitol riot.
Webster’s arrest is the latest in a series of charges against a growing number of residents of three states in connection with the events that unfolded early last month when a crowd of former President Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.
Nearly two months after the siege, the FBI continues to arrest throughout the country. Since the violent riot, a number of residents of three countries have been arrested and charged with various crimes related to the fatal event, including a Sanitation worker in New York, the brother of a retired NYPD officer, an MTA worker and ‘ an Upper West Side community leader.
Capitol police chief Carneysha Mendoza issued a sweeping report on Jan. 6 on the deadly uprising, as she testified before two Senate committees on Tuesday. “In the many occasions I have worked in my nearly 19-year career in the department, it was by far the worst of the worst,” Mendoza said.