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Defendant Shouted at Officers and Used Flagpole to Assault Police Sergeant
July 14, 2023 - WASHINGTON - A Florida woman was sentenced today on multiple felony charges, including assaulting law enforcement, related to her actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Her actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Audrey Ann Southard-Rumsey, 54, of Spring Hill, Florida, was sentenced to 72 months in prison after she was found guilty of seven felony charges, including three counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, three counts of civil disorder, and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.
Southard-Rumsey was sentenced following a stipulated trial in the District of Columbia before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. In addition to the prison term, Judge Mehta ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $2,000 to the Architect of the Capitol.
According to the government’s evidence, following the 2020 election, Southard-Rumsey amplified calls for revolution on social media and worked with others on a declaration calling for the abolition of the Democratic Party and the institution of a new government. On social media, Southard-Rumsey wrote posts including, “HANG the TRAITORS!!!” “Arrest and hang these traitors,” “go to their work and home pull them out by their teeth and hang them for treason!”
On Jan. 5, 2021, Southard-Rumsey traveled from her home in Florida to Washington, D.C., with others. On January 6, Southard-Rumsey attended a rally at the Ellipse and then made her way toward the Capitol building, arriving on the east plaza by 11:30 a.m. Around noon, Southard-Rumsey uploaded a photograph of herself at the east plaza to Facebook, writing, “DC taking it back!!” Four minutes later, Southard-Rumsey broadcasted a live video of herself on Facebook, stating, “standing in front of the capitol building, ready to take it. As soon as we get enough people up here. Storm the capitol building, it’s gonna be fun.”
At approximately 2:00 p.m., hundreds of rioters pushed through the police barricades at the east front and advanced, forcing officers to retreat partway up the steps leading to the Rotunda doors. Having been at the front of the crowd at the barricades, Southard-Rumsey was front and center as the large crowd confronted the police officers. Southard-Rumsey encountered a Capitol Police officer on the stairs leading to the building and tried to rip his riot shield out of his hands. She entered the Capitol building through the east Rotunda door at approximately 2:26 p.m.
Southard-Rumsey then walked to the statuary hall connector area, stopped, and stood in front of a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) sergeant and several other USCP officers. She was captured on video yelling, “Tell Pelosi we are coming for that b****,” and “There’s a hundred thousand of us, what’s it going to be?”
At some point during her interaction with the police sergeant, Southard-Rumsey obtained a flagpole, which she held in her hands and pressed against the sergeant’s chest. Southard-Rumsey then started pushing the sergeant, causing him to fall backward into the first set of doors leading to the House floor. As a result, the doors flew open, and the sergeant struck the back of his head on the base of a marble Lafayette statue. At the door to the House Chamber, Southard-Rumsey yelled, “we’re coming for you!”
Southard-Rumsey was removed from the area near the House Chamber by officers and made her way to the Rotunda. She joined a group of individuals who, seeking access to the House Speaker’s office, pushed a group of police officers down a set of stairs. She then returned to the Rotunda, where officers attempted to clear the area of unauthorized individuals. Southard-Rumsey then grabbed two officers’ batons and then grasped a metal stanchion with both hands, threatening the officers nearby.
Southard-Rumsey was arrested on June 2, 2021.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The case was investigated by the FBI's Tampa and Washington Field Offices, with valuable assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
