A Florida man has admitted to the charge of getting rough with cops during the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 last year. Marcus Clint Martin, 33, of Blountstown, entered a guilty plea for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers during the session that was to officially confirm the 2020 presidential election results. The District of Columbia's very own U.S. District Judge John D. Bates is set to sentence Martin on July 19, according to a Justice Department statement.
The court documents spill the details on how Martin was picked out in a sea of open-source videos and photos taken at the riot. He didn't shy away from the limelight, trying to fervently rally the crowd by waving his hands in the air as rioters charged through the police line at the Peace Circle. After the barricades by the West Plaza toppled over, Martin was seen tending to an injured rioter — only to prevent a cop from stepping in to assist, escalating to a tussle with the officers present.
The chaos worsened when the mob tackling a police officer down, and as another officer intruded to aid the fallen comrade, Martin got physical. He used his body to strong-arm the officer and pulled them by their uniform, the commotion growing when other rioters joined in. Martin pinned the officer down, putting his weight into the melee. The aftermath saw Martin arrested on July 31, 2023, in Panama City, Florida.
The prosecution baton was passed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, closely partnered with the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Assisting hands also came from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida. The FBI's Tampa and Washington Field Offices rolled up their sleeves to investigate, with the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department to also offer their backup. And to not forget, since that chaotic January day, over 1,358 individuals from nearly all 50 states are facing charges related to the Capitol breach, more than 486 for felonies like assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
