A Forsyth man was sentenced to prison Tuesday, Dec. 17, after he was previously convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers and other offenses during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Michael Bradley, 50, of Forsyth, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.
Bradley had previously been found guilty of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses. His charges included civil disorder, assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
According to court documents, between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, Bradley wielded a baton in a holster on his right hip as he made his way toward the U.S. Capitol and moved to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.
Court documents state Bradley watched as rioters shattered windows and pulled law enforcement officers into the crowd.
Bradley approached the Tunnel two times over a two-minute period with the intent of assaulting officers with his baton, according to court documents. At about 4:27 p.m., documents indicate Bradley raised his baton as he approached officers in the Tunnel in an apparent threat to strike them.
Bradley was eventually sprayed with a chemical agent, which caused him to retreat temporarily.
At approximately 4:28 p.m., third-party video captured Bradley returning to the mouth of the Tunnel – when he’s said to have “swung at the officers” with his baton. Court documents say Bradley then moved to the side of the Tunnel and left the Lower West Terrace a few minutes later.
The FBI arrested Bradley on Sept. 7, 2023, in Forsyth.
In 47 months since the Jan. 6 incident, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
