Two Plead Guilty to Assaulting Officer Michael Fanone During Capitol Riot [VIDEO]
Two men pleaded guilty this week for their roles in assaulting former Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone, who was beaten and electrocuted with a taser during the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington while being surrounded by the crowd of Donald Trump’s supporters.
Albuquerque Cosper Head pleaded guilty to assaulting or impeding a police officer on Friday before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in a federal court in Washington. During the hearing, Head acknowledged he was responsible for pulling Officer Fanone into the crowd. Another defendant, Kyle Young, had also pleaded guilty to assaulting or impeding a police officer in a separate court hearing before the same judge on Thursday.
About 140 police officers were assaulted during the Capitol riot, with the attack on Officer Fanone being one of the most high-profile cases. In an emotional Congressional hearing last summer, Officer Fanone testified about the assault against him. “I heard chanting from some in the crowd, ‘Get his gun and kill him with his own gun.’ I was aware enough to recognize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm,” Officer Fanone told lawmakers. “I was electrocuted again, and again, and again, with a taser. I’m sure I was screaming, but I don’t think I could even hear my own voice.”
During his sentencing, Judge Berman Jackson asked defendant Albuquerque Head, “Did you, in fact, use riot shields to strike at the police or push against the police?” Head responded with a simple and curt, “Yes,”
Another defendant in US Capitol riot pleads guilty & acknowledges assaulting DC officer MIchael Fanone
Albuquerque Cosper Head signs plea agreement, admitting wrapping arm around Fanone's neck & yelling "I got one!"
Guilty plea to assaulting/resisting officers pic.twitter.com/ONLFtCthhH
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 7, 2022
Four people have been charged in connection with the assault on Officer Fanone. The government’s cases against the other defendants accused of assaulting him, Thomas Sibick and Daniel Rodriguez, are still pending.
Albuquerque Cosper Head has pleaded guilty in the assault of former MPD Officer Mike Fanone. Sentencing set for September. pic.twitter.com/C57pHsGDfa
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) May 6, 2022
At least two more suspects in Officer Fanone’s assault remain at large, according to the FBI’s Most Wanted page. In a statement sent to Reuters, Officer Fanone said: “I look forward to looking each of these f*ckers in the eye in court when they are sentenced.”