WASHINGTON — A Maryland man accused of assaulting police with a lacrosse stick on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony count of civil disorder.
David Alan Blair, of Clarksburg, Maryland, appeared before U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to enter his plea Tuesday morning. In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining charges against him, including multiple felony counts of assaulting police with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of an official proceeding.
In charging documents filed last February, prosecutors said Blair – wielding a lacrosse stick adorned with a Confederate flag – encouraged other members of the mob to confront police, yelling, “Quit backing up, don’t be scared! We’re Americans, don’t be scared!”
Prosecutors said at one point, Blair struck a DC Police officer in the chest with his lacrosse stick. At that point, officers restrained him on the ground using batons and took him to the west lawn of the Capitol, where he was processed for arrest.
During his processing, police found a knife in his backpack – which he said he brought out of fear of “antifa.” Blair also allegedly apologized for striking the officer.
“I understand what I did, the one motherf***er swung at me so I kinda switched… so I apologize, we’re done though,” Blair said.
A search of Blair’s home turned up a notebook containing, among other things, apparent references to protests during the summer of 2020 – including the name of David Dorn, a retired St. Louis Police captain who was shot while interrupting a pawn shop burglary. Dorn was killed on the same night as protests over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest. Dorn’s death became a touchstone for some on the political right, and his widow, Ann Marie Dorn, spoke in support of then-candidate Donald Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention, even though, according to his daughters, he was opposed to Trump’s candidacy.
After accepting his guilty plea, Cooper ordered Blair to travel to D.C. on July 13 for sentencing. His attorney said he’ll faced an estimated recommended sentencing range of 8-14 months in prison.
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