A 71-year-old doctor from Massachusetts, Jacquelyn Starer, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for punching a police officer during the Capitol riot. She admitted to eight charges, including two serious offenses of obstructing law enforcement and assaulting an officer.
Starer traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., to attend Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal rally, which opposed the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win. She joined thousands of Trump supporters outside the Capitol and entered the building at 2:51 p.m., 45 minutes after the initial breach.
In the Rotunda, Starer pushed her way to the front of the crowd and punched a police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department. She reportedly yelled insults at the officer after the attack.
Prosecutors revealed that Starer had told someone she was prepared for the event, wearing a knife-proof shirt and carrying pepper spray.
During her sentencing, Starer apologized to the officer, but the judge expressed confusion about her actions, noting her education and life experience. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 27 months in prison, while Starer had asked for probation with home confinement.
Since the Capitol attack on January 6, nearly 1,500 people have been charged with related crimes.