Mass. man who bragged about assaulting an officer Jan. 6 faces years in jail after guilty plea

A Pittsfield man, who bragged on social media about hitting a “rookie cop,” pleaded guilty Monday to assaulting law enforcement officers during the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Troy Sargent, 38, pleaded guilty to all six counts of an indictment, including felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and civil disorder, as well as four related misdemeanor offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a release.

Sargent was part of a crowd of rioters that entered Capitol grounds illegally on Jan. 6, according to court documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Sargent first swung at an officer at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Another officer reportedly told Sargent and others, “Do not start attacking people,” and 30 seconds later, the Pittsfield resident moved to the front of the crowd and “swung his open hand towards the same officer; this time, he made contact with someone else in the crowd,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors said Sargent intentionally swung at the same officer, and pointed to a social media message that he wrote to another person later, which said, “I got two hits in on the same rookie cop …”

He was arrested on March 9, 2021 in Pittsfield. Sargent, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3, faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison on the charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. He also faces up to five years on the civil disorder charge and 3 1/2 years in prison on the four misdemeanors.

Sargent could also face potential financial penalties, but that’s up to a federal district court judge to decide.

More than 840 people have been arrested across the country for crimes related to the Capitol breach in the 17 months since it took place, prosecutors said. That includes more than 250 people who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.