Retired NYPD officer convicted in Jan. 6 police assault case

Thomas Webster, a retired New York Police Department officer, was found guilty on Monday of assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Webster, 56, of Goshen, New York, is the first person tried on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer during the events of Jan. 6.

During the trial, prosecutors showed footage of Webster pushing a metal bike rack barrier into Noah Rathbun, a Washington, D.C., police officer. Rathbun then knocked Webster back, and in response, Webster began swinging an aluminum flagpole before tackling the officer. Webster claimed Rathbun was taunting him, and he acted in self defense.

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After deliberating for around three hours, a federal jury found Webster guilty on all six counts, including interfering with police in a riot, disorderly conduct, and violent conduct while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. Sentencing is set for September.

Webster served as a Marine Corps infantryman from 1985 to 1989, and while an NYPD officer, was on the protective security detail of former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. A married father of three, Webster retired from the NYPD in 2011.