A Maryland man who thrust a lacrosse into the chest of a Capitol Police officer late in the afternoon of the January 6 insurrection has pleaded guilty to a felony charge.
David A. Blair, 27, of Clarksburg, Maryland, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to interfering with a law enforcement officer during the commission of civil disorder. He is accused of assaulting an officer with the lacrosse stick, which he had been using to wave an attached Confederate flag.
Here’s how the FBI criminal complaint described Blair’s conduct at approximately 5:45 p.m. on the West Lawn of the Capitol:
“While walking back and forth in the space between officers and the crowd, Blair yelled words to the effect of, "hell naw, quit backing up, don't be scared, we're Americans, don't be scared, let's go quit backing up, quit being scared. " As officers advanced, Officer K.P. shoved Blair back toward the crowd using his baton. Blair jumped back and turned to face Officer K.P., while squaring up his body to stand in front of Officer K.P. Blair held the lacrosse stick attached to the Confederate flag with two hands and started shouting, "what's up motherfucker, what's up, what's up bitch?
“BLAIR thrust the stick at Officer K.P towards the chest area, striking him. Immediately thereafter, several officers were able to restrain BLAIR on the ground using their batons. BLAIR was then removed from the west lawn and transported closer to the U.S. Capitol building where his arrest would be processed. While in handcuffs and not in response to any questions prompted by any members of MPD, BLAIR stated words to the effect of “I understand, what I did, the one motherfucker swung at me so I kinda switched . . . so I apologize, we’re done though.”
The report also states that during a search of Blair’s bag after he was processed by Capitol police, officers found “recovered a silver knife, which Blair explained he had on him “cause I was worried about Antifa and other people trying to jump me.” Additional items were also recovered from the bag, including tape, which Blair acknowledged “looks damn suspicious” and Blair explained “I had a flag with me, I taped it.”
Blair, who was arrested on Feb. 17, 2021, in Washington, D.C., will be sentenced on July 13, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
You can read the criminal complaint here.
