In the United States, another man has been sentenced to a long prison term in connection with the 2021 storming of the Capitol. The 40-year-old attacked a police officer with a stun gun.
One of the US Capitol strikers has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for a stun gun attack on an official. Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Daniel “DJ” Rodriguez acted like “a one-man army of hate,” attacking police and destroying property in the House of Congress that day.
Addressing the 40-year-old head-on, she said, “You showed up in (Washington) DC looking for a fight. You can’t blame anyone but yourself for what you did while you were there.”
On January 6, 2021, supporters of ex-President Donald Trump, who was defeated in the November 2020 election, stormed the Capitol with the aim of preventing his successor Joe Biden from certifying his election victory. There were several dead, and the intruders also caused considerable damage.
Police officer suffered a heart attack
During the riot, an attendant dragged Police Officer Michael Fanone into a mob on the Capitol grounds, where a number of officers were attempting to protect the entrance to the building. A number of insurgents began beating Fanone. The now convicted Rodriguez repeatedly pressed a stun gun to the police officer’s neck, as images from his body camera showed. Fanone lost consciousness and suffered a heart attack.
Rodriguez received a total of twelve years and seven months in prison for that attack. Only two other Capitol strikers have received lengthy prison sentences. Even after the verdict was announced, Rodriguez remained inflexible against him. “Trump won!” he yelled as he was led out of the courtroom.
