The 56-year-old former New York officer and former Marine is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for attacking DC Officer Noah Rathbun. Webster is the fourth Jan. 6 rioter to be convicted by a jury and the first to be convicted by a jury in a police raid since the uprising. “This case has to do with anger,” one of the prosecutors, Brian Kelly, said in the last hearing on Friday. Kelly told jurors that while Webster “wanted to blame Officer Rathbun,” it was Webster who first attacked Rathbun and Webster who crossed the police line to confront the officer. “His actions speak for themselves,” Kelly concluded, urging jurors to find Webster guilty of all charges, including assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer with a dangerous weapon. Webster’s defense attorney, James Monroe, argued that Webster only acted in self-defense after being punched by Rathbun. “Will we ever accept bad behavior from the police?” Monroe asked the jury. “We are dealing with a bad cop,” he told Rathbun, adding that Webster “knows what a bad cop looks like” having served in the NYPD for two decades. This is the first case where a riot in the Capitol claimed self-defense. In other related cases, jurors have previously dismissed attempts by the defendants to shift responsibility to then-President Donald Trump. Most of the January 6 cases that have been tried so far have resulted in convictions. The self-defense claim gained no traction from the jurors. Doris Spruell, a juror, told reporters after the verdict that “they examined all the evidence … and considered that there was no reason for self-defense. The video, I think, showed it clearly.” When asked about Webster’s testimony, Spruell said she “did not believe it was credible.” “The case brought by the government was very comprehensive,” said another juror, adding that he was “very comfortable with the verdict” and that the jury did not consider Webster’s testimony imperative. “It was very fast and very obvious,” said another juror. While prosecutors demanded that Webster be locked up immediately, Mehta allowed Webster to remain under house arrest for 24 hours with an ankle monitor, a decision he said was “close communication.” Webster, who was sitting motionless during the verdict, left the DC court holding a flipped phone in his ear and did not speak to reporters. “It’s a tough day for Tom Webster and his family,” Monroe said. “We will think about the result today and decide where to go from here.” Another rioter who attacked police near Webster during the uprising – and who appears to be attacking police in a video showing Webster – was sentenced to 27 months behind bars on Monday, following a deal with the Ministry of Justice in December. Kevin Creek, a former Marine, attacked two police officers during the riot, kicking one and hitting another in the hand. “He broke the line,” prosecutors said during the sentencing hearing before Judge Dabney Friedrich. This story has been updated with additional details. CNN’s Casey Gannon contributed to this report.
