Jan. 6 Rioter Sentenced for Assaulting Officer

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The Facts

  • Albuquerque Cosper Head, a Tennessee man who admitted to assaulting Metropolitan Police Dept. officer Michael Fanone during the Jan. 6 US Capitol riots, was sentenced Thursday to seven years and six months in prison, six months shy of the statutory maximum sentence.

  • Prosecutors described how Head grabbed Fanone and yelled “I’ve got one!” before dragging the officer into a crowd that beat and shocked him with a stun gun. Fanone testified the attack gave him a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury that cost him his career.


The Spin

Democratic narrative

Head had several opportunities to be a peaceful protester and avoid taking part in the violence, but he’s seen on video assaulting Fanone. Sentencing him to a near-max term will hopefully send a message to future election deniers that things like this can never happen again and that there will be serious consequences for violent actions.

Pro-Trump narrative

Head's actions may have been inexcusable, but the Democrats are waging war on dissent, and that extends beyond Trump to his supporters who have serious questions about the integrity of the 2020 election. Just like authoritarian countries such as China, they've attempted to silence them by going after their livelihoods and even prosecuting them. They're not just going after one man for assault, but an entire political faction.


Metaculus Prediction


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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