Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 54
- Location
- Florida, New York
- Charges
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Act of Physical Violence within the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Thomas Webster is identified in court documents as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and as a retired New York City Police Department officer. In police body camera footage from Jan. 6, 2021, Webster is allegedly seen at a police barricade yelling at an officer: “You f***ing piece of s***. You f***ing Commie motherf***ers," while carrying a large metal flagpole with a Marine Corps flag attached to it. Soon after, Webster allegedly shoves the barricade and "raises the metal flagpole above his head and forcefully swings downward, striking the metal barricade directly," according to a criminal complaint. Webster allegedly strikes the officer several times with the flagpole and tackles the officer to the ground, where he tries to remove the officer's face shield and gas mask. In a later interview, the officer reported that they were unable to breathe during the assault, court documents indicate. The FBI used Facebook photos, a passport photo and the help of an administrator at Webster's children's school to link him to the attack, according to court records.
Case History
Webster pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Convicted on all charges in a jury trial held 4/25/2022-5/2/2022. Sentenced 9/2/2022 to 10 years incarceration; 3 years of supervised release; $2,060 in restitution; $510 special assessment. Webster received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.