A former Marine, Tyler Bradley Dykes, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his involvement in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Dykes, who was an active-duty Marine at the time, pleaded guilty to assault charges after grabbing a police riot shield and pushing his way through police lines during the attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of five years and three months for Dykes, citing his direct contribution to the extreme violence on the Capitol's east front. Despite his attorneys' request for a two-year sentence, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sentenced Dykes, 26, to four years and nine months of imprisonment.
Dykes had a prior conviction stemming from the 2017 white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was transferred to federal custody in 2023 after serving a six-month sentence in a state prison.
During the Capitol riot, Dykes ripped snow fencing and pulled aside barricades as he approached the building. He joined other rioters in breaking through a police line and was seen performing what appeared to be a Nazi salute at the top of the stairs. Dykes also used the stolen riot shield to assault police officers inside the Capitol.
Despite denying the Nazi salute, video evidence captured Dykes' open-handed gesture. In a previous incident in 2017, Dykes was photographed joining white supremacists in a march through a university campus, where he extended his right arm in a Nazi salute.
Dykes, who was discharged from the Marine Corps in 2023 under 'other than honorable' conditions, expressed remorse for his actions on January 6. More than 1,400 individuals have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot, with over 900 already sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years.
For more updates on the U.S. Capitol insurrection, visit AP's coverage.
