A 28-year-old Seattle man was sentenced Monday to 46 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6 breach and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Devlyn Thompson admitted that he was among a crowd that pushed up against and assaulted officers from the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police who were attempting to stem the tide of protesters forcing their way into the Capitol on the lower west terrace.
Thompson pleaded guilty Aug. 6 to charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers while using a dangerous weapon. He was arrested that day and has been in custody ever since.
Thompson and a New Jersey man were the first two to plead guilty among more than 170 people charged so far by federal prosecutors as a result of the Capitol breach, according to a Department of Justice news release.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth also ordered Thomspon to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
According to an 11-page plea agreement filed with the court, Thompson agreed to allow federal agents access to his social-media accounts on the dates surrounding the insurrection, and cooperate with the ongoing investigation into efforts by Donald Trump supporters to prevent Congress from ratifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to a sentencing recommendation of between 46 and 57 months. The agreement noted that Thompson has a number of convictions for minor crimes such as public intoxication, driving without a license and theft.
According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Thompson and others had jammed a tunnel leading into the Capitol building and were pushing up against officers trying to keep them out.
“Thompson was part of a group that threw objects and projectiles at the officers, including flag poles, and grabbed and stole the officers’ riot shields to prevent them from defending themselves against the violence,” according to a release from the Department of Justice.
When police tried to push the crowd back, using batons and pepper spray, “Thompson picked up a metal baton from the floor of the tunnel and swung it overhead and downward against the police line in an apparent effort to knock a can of pepper spray from an officer’s hand and stop the officer from pepper-spraying the rioters.
“After more pepper spray was deployed by the rioters and the officers, Thompson retreated from the archway area,” the DOJ said.
According to the DOJ, Thompson “took exception” to how he believed protesters were being handled by law enforcement, and verbally challenged a law enforcement officer who was holding the line: “You wanna fight, let’s fight! One on one.”
He also reportedly told others, “What is there left if we can’t even talk to our representatives? . . . you guys are protecting that system,” according to the Justice Department documents.
At least eight others from Washington state have been charged in connection with alleged participation in the insurrection. That list includes: Tyler Slaeker, 39, of Federal Way; Daniel Lyons Scott, 27, a former Arlington resident; Joseph Elliott Zlab, 51, of Lake Forest Park; Mark Leffingwell, 51, of Seattle; Ethan Nordean, 30, who lives near Auburn; Jeffrey Grace, 61, of Battle Ground, Clark County; Taylor Johnatakis, 38, of Kingston, Kitsap County; and Marc Bru, 41, of Vancouver.
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this story.