Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay 

Defendant Swung Open Hand at Police Officer 

December 12, 2022 - WASHINGTON – Troy Sargent, 38, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today in the District of Columbia to 14 months in prison for felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, civil disorder, and four related misdemeanor offenses. Sargent pleaded guilty on June 27, 2022, to all six charges against him.

His and others’ actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

According to court documents, Sargent was part of a crowd of rioters illegally on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. At approximately 2:30 p.m., he stepped forward from the crowd and swung his open hand towards a U.S. Capitol Police Officer, making contact with the officer. Immediately afterward, another officer instructed Sargent and others, “Do not start attacking people.” Thirty seconds later, at approximately 2:31 p.m., Sargent again advanced toward the front of the crowd and swung his open hand towards the same officer; this time, he made contact with someone else in the crowd. In this second incident, Sargent intended to make contact with the same officer. In a social media message later, he wrote to another person, “I got two hits in on the same rookie cop …”

Sargent was arrested on March 9, 2021, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In addition to the term of incarceration, he was ordered to complete two years of supervised release and to pay $500 restitution and a $285 special assessment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The FBI’s Boston Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department

In the 23 months since Jan. 6, 2021, approximately 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 280 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.