WASHINGTON (WISH) — A southern Indiana man got more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer during the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

Curtis Logan Tate, 32, of Jeffersonville, had pleaded guilty to charges that he used a metal baton, a lamp and other makeshift weapons to assault police officers who were protecting the U.S. Capitol from a mob of Donald Trump supporters.

Tate struck at least two officers with the baton that he brought to the Capitol. He hit one officer in the hand and the other repeatedly on the helmet.

Tate also threw a broken table leg, a floor lamp, a speaker box and a shoe at officers guarding a tunnel entrance on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace. He struck a third officer’s arm and damaged a window when he threw the speaker box.

Tate had pleaded guilty to three felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding police using a deadly or dangerous weapon, court records show.

Tate lived in Jeffersonville, Indiana — near Louisville, Kentucky — when he and a friend traveled to Washington to attend then-President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6. He posted several videos on Instagram as he stormed the Capitol with other rioters.

Tate was arrested in August 2023 in Wilmington, North Carolina. A federal magistrate judge ordered him to remain jailed until his case is resolved.

In March 2023, USA Today interviewed Tate for a story about Capitol rioters who had been identified by online sleuths but not yet arrested. Tate acknowledged that he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but he denied assaulting anyone.

“I would never hurt an officer. I come from a military background, I’m very respectful of our military and police,” he told the newspaper.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

News release

“WASHINGTON –An Indiana man was sentenced to prison today after he previously pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. 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 2020 presidential election.

“Curtis Logan Tate, 32, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was sentenced to 63 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,176 by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper.  Tate pleaded guilty to a felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers on March 7, 2024.

“According to court documents, Tate attended the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, in protest of Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote. Tate wore a black jacket, green tactical vest, green pants, and black knit cap, and he carried a metal baton that he had brought with him to D.C. After the rally, Tate marched with a crowd toward the U.S. Capitol grounds.

“At approximately 2:05 p.m., Tate arrived on the restricted grounds surrounding the U.S. Capitol building near the Lower West Terrace. Here, Tate urged others to move forward, yelling, ‘Keep going!’ He also posted a video on his Instagram social media account depicting the Lower West Terrace and Inauguration scaffolding with a caption, reading, ‘Before the first breach.’

“Tate then advanced to the front of the crowd assembled on the Lower West Terrace and used the metal baton that he had brought with him to strike a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer in the hand. In response, another MPD officer sprayed Tate with pepper spray, causing him to rerate from the area. However, Tate remained near the Lower West Terrace after the assault and posted a second video of himself on Instagram with a caption reading, ‘POST 1ST MACING.’ In the video, Tate displayed the same metal baton that he had used to assault the MPD officer and yelled, ‘We’re tearing this m—f— down! ‘Tate remained near the Lower West Terrace, where he uploaded a third video of himself to Instagram with a caption reading, ‘POST 2ND TEAR GAS.’ In the video, Tate displayed the metal baton again and yelled, ‘Push forward! Our house!’

“At about 2:42 p.m., the mob of assembled rioters began attacking a defensive police line at the mouth of an archway leading to an entrance to the Capitol building known as the Tunnel. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th. Rioters at the Tunnel battled police officers for hours as they attempted to storm the Capitol building. Police retreated inside the Tunnel to protect an entrance to the Capitol building.

“At approximately 2:43 p.m., Tate entered the Tunnel, brandishing the metal baton over his head as he entered. Inside the Tunnel, Tate uploaded a fourth video to his Instagram account with the caption reading, ‘F— ALL THESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.’ Tate then waved others outside to enter the Tunnel and, at approximately 2:57 p.m., brandished the metal baton above his head and charged toward the line of police officers.

“Court documents say that Tate repeatedly struck a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer in the helmet with the metal baton. In response, another USCP officer sprayed Tate with pepper spray, causing him to retreat from the Tunnel.

“At approximately 4:12 p.m., Tate returned to the steps of the Tunnel and, at about 4:28 p.m., picked up a black speaker box from the ground. The speaker box was approximately 12 inches wide and 18 inches long. Court documents say that Tate threw the speaker box, which struck an office window located to the left of the Tunnel entrance. The strike caused a crack that was already in the window to expand.

“At approximately 4:31 p.m., Tate threw a black speaker box at police officers protecting the entrance to the Tunnel. The speaker box struck an MPD officer in the left arm. Tate also threw a shoe at the MPD officer. After the assault, Tate assisted other rioters in passing objects through the crowd. Certain objects were later used as improvised weapons by rioters in the Tunnel, including a broken table leg and a floor lamp. Tate also assisted by passing a long piece of lumber toward the entrance to the Tunnel.

“Beginning at about 4:34 p.m., Tate threw the broken table leg and a floor lamp at police officers protecting the entrance to the Tunnel. He later stood at the entrance to the Tunnel and brandished a black nightstick over his head in a threatening manner at police officers.

“The FBI arrested Tate on Aug. 24, 2023, in Wilmington, North Carolina.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and Eastern District of North Carolina provided valuable assistance.

“The FBI’s Indianapolis and Washington Field Offices investigated this case. The FBI identified Tate as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #119 on its seeking information photos. The U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance.

“In the 42 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,470 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 530 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

“Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.”

News release issued July 9, 2024, from Matthew W. Graves, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia