A Georgia man who beat one officer and dragged another down steps at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, admitted to telling officers, "you're going to die tonight," while he assaulted them.
Jack Wade Whitton, 32, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon, according to court documents. He now could face up to 20 years in prison for his actions.
Whitton, outfitted in a "Trump 2020" hat on the day of the riots, reportedly boasted in online messages that he "fed" a cop "to the people" when he threw the officer down the Capitol steps. The messages were obtained by the government, resulting in his plea.
The judge overseeing his case is expected to follow sentencing guidelines of 6.5 to 8 years in federal prison. Still, he could see less time if Whitton's contention that none of his victims were physically restrained during the assault holds up.
During his guilty plea, Whitton admitted that he hit an officer with a crutch while the officer was on the ground before dragging him down the stairs. This took place on the western side of the Capitol, which hosted some of the most violent attacks during the insurrection, the court documents say.
While the officer was being dragged down the stairs, other rioters used flagpoles and batons to beat him. Twenty minutes later, Whitton returned to the police line and kicked at officers while yelling, "you're going to die tonight," he admitted to in his plea.
Whitton was an early target by the sedition hunters, which assisted the FBI by helping identify Capitol rioters in the months following the riot. In the case, prosecutors said that "unknown Twitter users" tracked his movements on the day of the attack to piece together his actions.
Another source, someone who went to high school with him and works out at Whitton's cross-fit gym, also identified him to the FBI.
So far, more than 850 people have been arrested in connection to the attack, with prosecutors securing more than 350 convictions, NBC News reported. Hundreds more who have not been arrested have been identified by the FBI.
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