Mississippi man sentenced to 9 years in prison for attacking Capitol police on Jan. 6

A Mississippi man and his cousin from Alabama were sentenced to prison for their role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department announced this week.

Thomas Harlen Smith, 45, of Mathiston, Mississippi, was sentenced to 108 months in prison, and 36 months of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Mississippi said in a news release Tuesday. His cousin, Donnie Duane Wren, 44, of Athens, Alabama, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, with 24 months of supervised release. 

Back in May, a jury convicted convicted Smith of 11 charges, including felony offenses of assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, obstruction of an official proceeding, and two counts of civil disorder. On the same day, Wren was convicted of civil disorder and assaulting, impeding, or resisting officers, both felonies, and a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, the release added.

The case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Birmingham Field Offices and the Homestead, Florida, and Oxford, Mississippi, resident agencies, was aided by assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department, the released added.

Capitol riot arrests: See who’s been charged across the U.S.

Clash against police

According to court documents and evidence presented in the trial, Smith traveled from his home in Mississippi to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, to attend a rally held by former President Trump the next day and picked up Wren from his Alabama home along the way. The next morning, both Smith and Wren attended the rally and afterward made their way toward the Capitol building.

Before entering the grounds, Smith climbed up a column near the African American History Museum holding an “outdated” Mississippi state flag, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. When the cousins arrived on restricted Capitol land, they saw other rioters climbing the scaffolding set up around the stage for the presidential inauguration. The two men then climbed the structure and made their way toward the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. 

Smith pushed his way to the front of a group of rioters and thrust a flagpole “like a spear” five times trying to break a window next to the doors of the Lower West Terrace, officials said. Smith then “surged” through the door and he and other rioters pushed into a line of Metropolitan Police Department officers attempting to hold the door shut.

Smith then exited the tunnel and met with his cousin Wren, who federal prosecutors said had seen the violence directed at police officers in the Capitol. Both men posed for a photo on the Lower West Terrace before they climbed up a railing to the Upper West Terrace and confronted a line of officers in riot gear attempting to clear the area, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Federal prosecutors later said both men placed their hands on the officer’s shields and pushed against the line. Wren leaned all his weight on the riot shield, preventing an officer from advancing, and was one of the first assaults on the Terrace that began a fight between rioters and police trying to clear the area.

During this altercation, according to prosecutors, Smith saw an object fly by him and strike an officer to whom he yelled:  “You deserve that, you piece of s—!” 

At about 4:35 p.m., prosecutors said Smith kicked an officer in the back, knocking him to the ground. He then picked up a metal pole and threw it toward the police line, striking two officers in the head. 

Smith posted about the Capitol breach on his personal Facebook page writing: “Patriots stood together and battled the tyrannical cops throughout the entire afternoon.”

Ongoing investigations into the Jan. 6 riot

The announcement comes nearly three years since rioters breached the Capitol on Jan. 6. More than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach, including more than 400 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony, according to officials. The attack left five people dead and sent lawmakers and former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing to shelter.

At least one person has been arrested from every state and the District of Columbia.

Last month, a Proud Boys member, Dominic Pezzola, who a judge called the “tip of the spear” for being the first to breach Capitol during the attack, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Pezzola was convicted for smashing a Senate window with a police shield, allowing other rioters to enter the Capitol building, officials said. He later spent 20 minutes in the building.

Officials are still investigating the breach. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Capitol breach: Proud Boys member Dominic Pezzola gets 10 years for smashing Senate window with police shield