Pittsfield man gets 14-month prison sentence for role in Jan. 6 attack

A Massachusetts man was sentenced Monday to 14 months in prison on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Prosecutors said Troy Sargent, 38, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, swung his hand at a U.S. Capitol police officer, briefly making contact with him. Sargent's lawyer had said his client touched the officer's visor.

Another officer instructed Sargent and others not to attack people, prosecutors had said. Soon after that, according to the prosecutors, Sargent advanced toward the front of the crowd and swung his open hand toward the same officer. He made contact with someone else in the crowd.

Sargent was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol but did not enter the building itself during the violence, which was carried out by supporters of former President Donald Trump intent on stopping the transfer of presidential power to Democrat Joe Biden.

Sargent later posted on Facebook, “I got two hits in on the same rookie cop."

He was arrested in March 2021. In June, Sargent pleaded guilty in the nation's capital to the assault-related charge, civil disorder, and four related misdemeanor offenses.

The government requested a 27-month sentence. Sargent's attorney asked for six months, followed by two years of supervised release.

“Troy Sargent has clearly acknowledged the harm he caused, both to the Court and to his family," his lawyer said in a sentencing memorandum. “He has truly accepted responsibility by making significant changes in his behavior."

Nearly 900 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach.