SEFFNER, Fla. — A Seffner man was sentenced for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice reports.
Mitchell Gardner II, 34, of Seffner was sentenced Thursday in the District of Columbia to 55 months in prison on felony charges, including:
- Civil disorder
- Obstruction of an official proceeding
- Assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon
Gardner pleaded guilty on June 27, 2022. In addition to his time in prison, he was ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $3,500.
"His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election," the government department said in a news release.
Court documents reportedly explain Gardner was part of a mob on Jan. 6 just outside the Lower West Terrace Tunnel from approximately 3:45 p.m. until at least 4:05 p.m. The DOJ says during that time period, he shouted, "Drag them out," and "Pull the cops out," "Grab their hands and pull them out."
"Gardner used a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Oleoresin Capsicum device against officers within the tunnel area," the DOJ explains in the release. "The contents hit one officer directly in the face shield and splattered onto at least two additional officers."
This reportedly caused the officers to cough for an extended period of time and also burned their eyes.
According to the DOJ, Gardner also urged other people at the riot to use a ladder to break into a window. When the ladder wasn't used, the government department says the man stood on a window ledge outside of a Senate Terrace Room and bashed the window with a canister.
It cost more than $2,900 to replace the window.
After bashing the window, Garnder was able to enter the room, and he waved other rioters to come closer or into the building, the DOJ explains. He reportedly also gave another person an object that was used to assault police officers.
After leaving the Capitol, Gardner reportedly remained on the Lower West Terrace for at least another 10 minutes.
"He encouraged the mob and even cheered at 4:55 p.m. when one rioter threw a fire extinguisher into the tunnel at police officers," the DOJ explains.
Garnder was arrested on June 25, 2021, in Tampa.
In the 26 months since Jan. 6, 2021, at least 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot. The investigation remains ongoing.
