Richardson man gets prison for actions during Jan. 6 Capitol attack
WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) — A federal judge decided today that a Texas man will spend over three years in prison for attacking a police officer and other offenses he committed during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Garret Miller, 36, of Richardson, was sentenced to 38 months in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty in Dec. 2022 to charges that included assaulting a police officer, making threats, three counts interfering with police, entering a restricted building, disorderly or disruptive conduct on restricted grounds, blocking entrances and exits, and demonstrating in the Capitol.
U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols also ordered Miller to 36 months of supervised release after his release from prison.
Court documents showed that Miller traveled to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 with the intent to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. He brought tools he referred to as "riot gear" - rope, a grappling hook, a mouth guard, and a bump cap - and said he was looking forward to fighting "soft" people in Washington D.C.
Prosecutors said that Miller was "obsessed" with the results of the election and believed that it had been stolen. He had a history of using social media to post threats to prominent people including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Mark Zuckerburg, and Jack Dorsey.
At the Captol, Miller was apparently so disruptive that he was detained twice at the East Front of the building, the second time using handcuffs. He vowed to leave and was released, but instead stayed and recorded himself talking about a revolution.
Eventually, Miller forced his way past Capitol police and entered into the Rotunda. He made it into the old Senate Chamber before being turned back. But as Capitol and Metro police officers tried to remove the riots from the grounds, Miller became combative and began physically fighting with at least six officers.
After he was forced out of the building, Miller went to the West Front and watched rioters fighting with police before finally leaving some time after 5:00 p.m.
Later that evening, at 7:26 p.m., Miller responded to a tweet from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by saying, "Assassinate AOC." Prosecutors said Miller continued to express his desire to "start assassinating," bragged about the riot, and said he wanted to publicly identify the police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt and "hug his neck with a nice rope."
When he was arrested on Jan. 20, 2021, Miller was wearing a shirt with an image of former President Donald Trump and the words, "I was there, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021."