Emanuel Jackson (Photos from court documents)
A man seen in video striking officers with a metal baseball bat during the U.S. Capitol riots and saying he was “not there for Trump” is considering a plea deal in his case, court documents said.
The U.S. Justice Department has submitted a plea offer to Emanuel Jackson. He was charged with assaulting an officer of the United States, assaulting an officer of the United States with a deadly or dangerous weapon, obstruction of an official proceeding, unlawful entry and physical violence on restricted building or grounds and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Defense attorneys are reviewing the offer, and a plea hearing is set for May 10, according to the court docket.
Jackson joined rioters as they tried to break through the barricaded doorway of the Senate wing entrance on the west side of the Capitol building, authorities said. Thousands of Donald Trump supporters were there that day protesting Congress certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral win.
Video surveillance footage captures Jackson making a fist and repeatedly striking a Capitol officer while trying to enter the building, officials said. Authorities said video footage shows Jackson — in a black hooded sweatshirt, a tan military-style backpack, and a light blue surgical mask on his face — repeatedly striking a group of officers with a metal baseball bat.
In an interview with Baltimore’s CBS affiliate WJZ-TV on Jan. 6, he said, “I had a bat. They were pepper spraying people. Then, they got me in the eye.” Asked why he was there, Jackson said he was “fighting for America. We’ve been taken over by globalists, by the Chinese. Fighting for America. I’m not here for Trump. I’m here for America.”
Police allegedly linked Jackson through social media posts showing him swinging the bat. He turned himself in on Jan. 18, 2021, confessed to participating in the protest and identified himself in video and photos, officials said.
In arguing against pretrial detention, Brandi Harden, his defense attorney, described him in court documents as recently homeless, said he had no criminal record, that there were no reports of injuries to officers by him and he voluntarily surrendered when he learned he was wanted.
While in custody, the lawyer said, he allegedly admitted he was there on Jan. 6, identified himself in photos and videos, and “bizarrely rambled in a social media video” about why he was there.
The lawyer argued that while the case against him is serious, the circumstances of the offense must be viewed “through the lens of an event inspired by the President of the United States.”
She also argued that the government exhibits “paint a picture of a mentally challenged teenager” inspired by “inflammatory propaganda.”
“Apparently unaware that a public video admission to criminal conduct at the U.S. Capitol could strip him of the right to vote, Mr. Jackson oddly explains that he has ‘learned a lesson’ from not voting in the 2020 presidential election, (‘because I thought my vote didn’t count’) ensuring that he would ‘vote in future elections.””
She said in court documents he had been on track to graduate from high school in the spring of 2021 but was suddenly faced with homelessness after his mother lost her housing. She moved into a women’s shelter, and he was forced to temporarily move in with his brother, who his lawyer wrote was “an unwilling caregiver” who became overwhelmed with his brother’s care shortly after moving in.
“Mr. Jackson has been diagnosed with several mental health conditions that limit his ability to perform the most basic daily functions,” she wrote.
Prosecutors said his actions that day were violent and he posed a danger to the community.
“The defendant’s assaultive behavior in part allowed the large mob of individuals to successfully breach the U.S. Capitol, putting additional law enforcement officers and members and staff of Congress at grave risk,” court documents said. “The defendant’s actions allowed other rioters to commit multiple other criminal acts inside the building.”
They argued that was just the beginning of his unlawful conduct and said he got a bat shortly before 4:50 that day.
“Not content with assaulting law enforcement officers with his fists, the defendant physically assaulted law enforcement officers with the bat in order to regain entry,” court documents said. “The defendant’s actions were violent, criminal, and represented a further dangerous escalation aimed at allowing other violent rioters to unlawfully enter the U.S. Capitol. Officers could have easily been seriously injured, if not killed, by his repeated downward blows with the baseball bat.”
