By Marlyn Montilla
28 Oct 2023, 16:45 PM EDT
A subject from Happy Valley, Oregon was sentenced to more than three years in prison for breaking into the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Identified as Richard L. Harris, he was sentenced on Friday, one of more than 400 people accused of attacking or impeding the application of the law, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC.
Harris was sentenced to 41 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.
On January 6, after attending the Stop the Steal demonstration, he was part of the first group that forcibly entered Congress. In a video made by the same defendant, Harris could be seen shouting the following: “They threw tear gas at us. Front line, baby. “We are storming the Capitol.”
After storming the government compound, he was at the front of the horde of riotous supporters of former President Donald Trump and later led a crowd that followed another officer into a hallway as the man pointed him in the face and yelled, “Back off. You are outnumbered. There are millions of us out there. And we are listening to Trump, his boss.”
During her time at the Capitol, Harris stood on five statues and put her “MAGA” hat on the statue of Gerald Ford, KGW8 reported.
He also threatened former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Mike Pence and a reporter, encouraging another rioter to “throw” him onto the old Senate chamber located on the second floor of the Capitol.
Harris then returned to the Rotunda in front of the hordes confronting Capitol officers. When he was face to face with a lieutenant from the Metropolitan Police Department, the subject took his riot baton and pulled it several times.
Court documents say the Oregon man pulled with such force that he dragged the lieutenant several feet into the angry crowd.
Harris and others were cornered in the east side lobby and did not leave that area until officers forced them to do so. Upon leaving East Rotunda Doors, the subject took another selfie video, where he stated: “Front line, baby!”, while dozens of officers stood behind him.
Federal prosecutors relied on images taken from social media videos to build the case against Harris. In March, the Trump supporter was detained in South Florida and prosecutors accused him of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, obstruction; and entering and remaining in a restricted building.
He remained incarcerated in the Broward County Jail without bail in the custody of the United States Sheriffs.
Harris was found guilty of five felonies and six misdemeanors following his trial in June.
Keep reading:
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