Virginia man sentenced to 3 years in prison for assaulting officer during Jan. 6 Capitol breach
Nov 14, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WRIC) -- A Prince William County, Virginia man has been sentenced to over three years in prison for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
33-year-old Micaiah Joseph of the Triangle area of Prince William County was sentenced to 37 months in prison, as well as 36 months of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution after he was convicted of the following charges:
Civil disorder
Assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds
Impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings
According to court documents, Joseph was among a mob of rioters who entered the restricted U.S. Capitol grounds and confronted U.S. Capitol Police officers near an entrance on the Lower West Terrace known as the "Tunnel."
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against police, who defended the Capitol for more than two and a half hours while rioters "pushed against them, struck them, stole their riot shields, sprayed them with chemical irritants, and otherwise fought against them to gain access to the U.S. Capitol."
Joseph entered the Tunnel and moved through the crowd, helping other rioters push the officers while using a nearby set of doors to leverage his weight against them. He then moved to the mouth of the tunnel and, on his way out, handed his gas mask to another rioter who then joined the melee to push against police.
After standing at the mouth of the tunnel, Joseph turned back inside to engage in another "heave-ho" effort against the police before leaving the Tunnel.
Joseph, who was arrested in Virginia on Jan. 18, 2023, is one of more than 1,500 people who have been charged in connection to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.