Daniel Rodriguez: Capitol rioter pleads guilty to assaulting former Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone
WASHINGTON, DC: Daniel Rodriguez, a Capitol Hill rioter, on Tuesday, February 14, pleaded guilty to assaulting former Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone. The attack that took place on Friday, January 6, left the former official with a heart attack and he later resigned from the services. The accused who earlier pleaded not guilty got into a plea deal by confessing to his crime on Tuesday. As per his indictment, Rodriguez, after committing the crime, bragged about it in a group chat with other rioters. He wrote, "Omg I did so much f****** s***** and got away tell you later," Daniel "D.J." Tazzzzed the f*** out of the blue."
He was held accountable for eight federal counts, to which he had pleaded guilty to four, including conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, tampering with documents, and inflicting bodily injury on an officer using a dangerous weapon. The three of the charges he pleaded guilty to carry up to 20 years of a prison sentence. As per legal experts, Rodriguez will likely serve at least somewhere between 7-10 years behind bars. Since the plea agreement does not demand the accused to agree with prosecutors demand on sentencing, it is going to be decided by the judge. US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson is scheduled to sentence Rodriguez on May 16, and his case had been scheduled to go to trial this month, as per NBC News.
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Who else was involved in the attack on Fanone?
Kyle Young, a co-accused in the attack on Fanone, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in September, and he also brought his teen son to the Capitol. Prosecutors claimed that Rodriguez and Edward Badalian, both from California talked about their alleged crimes in a group chat, named “Patriots 45 MAGA Gang.”
In an interview, officer Michael Fanone talked about a life-threatening incident during duty. He was not only assaulted with a stun gun but was also beaten with a flagpole. He heard people screaming, "Kill him with his own gun." Fanone suffered a heart attack and concussion after the incident and also dealt with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Fanone said that it’s been difficult to see elected officials whitewash what happened on January 6, reports MEAWW.
How Michael Fanone managed to save his life?
"So, the other option I thought of was to try to appeal to somebody's humanity. And I just remember yelling out that I have children. And it seemed to work," said Fanone is a father of four. His appeal worked and some rioters came forward to protect him. Fanone is still suffering the effects of a mild heart attack.
