Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay
November 6, 2023 - WASHINGTON – An Ohio man was sentenced today on a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His 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 2020 presidential election.
Michael Scott Lockwood, 32, of Warren, Ohio, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss. Lockwood pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers on July 24, 2023.
According to court documents, Lockwood traveled from his home in Ohio to Washington, D.C., to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021. After the rally, Lockwood walked toward the U.S. Capitol building and eventually made his way to the northwest riser that formed part of the Inaugural amphitheater. At about 3:47 p.m., Lockwood sent a Facebook message to another user, stating, “Im [sic] on top of the capitol, bro.” Lockwood later sent the user another message, including images of himself on the Capitol grounds.
At approximately 4:23 p.m., police officers used gas on the northwest riser near Lockwood, prompting Lockwood to send another Facebook message, stating, “They just tear gassed the f— out of us.” By 4:33 p.m., Lockwood was on top of a raised platform on the northwest riser where a crowd of rioters was standing. At approximately 4:35 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) police officers began climbing on top of the raised platform where Lockwood and other rioters were standing. MPD officers began clearing the raised platform of the rioters and attempted to move Lockwood off the platform, but he resisted.
At approximately 4:38 p.m., Lockwood put his elbow into an officer. At the same time, another rioter had fallen to the ground near Lockwood and began using a flagpole to strike an MPD officer. The officer attempted to subdue the rioter with a police baton, but Lockwood grabbed the baton and began wrestling with the officer for control. After a brief struggle, Lockwood—still grabbing the police baton—jumped off of the raised platform and ripped the police baton from the officer’s hands. Lockwood, police baton in hand, then disappeared into the mob.
Later that day, at approximately 5:07 p.m., Lockwood sent another Facebook message to a user stating, “Yea bro, I got in a fight with the cops and s—.” The user replied, “And you didn’t get arrested ???” Lockwood replied, “No arrest. I took a baton from them.” On January 9th, Lockwood sent a Facebook message to another user, stating, “Got me a little souvenir from Wednesday.” The message included two images of a police baton.
Lockwood was arrested on Dec. 15, 2022, by the FBI.
This 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 Northern District of Ohio.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Cleveland Field Offices. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 34 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,200 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
