Former police chief sentenced for role in Jan. 6 attack

A retired California police chief was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison Friday for his action during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, the Department of Justice announced.

Alan Hostetter was convicted of four charges, consisting of obstruction of an official preceding and trespassing with a deadly weapon.

According to prosecutors, Hostetter planned with others for months to obstruct the Electoral College vote count on Jan. 6, 2021. They said he believed that the 2020 election was stolen and called for a “reckoning.”

“There must — absolutely must — be a reckoning. There must be justice,” he told a group of Trump supporters, prosecutors said. “President Trump must be inaugurated on January 20th, and he must be allowed to finish this historic job of cleaning out the corruption in the cesspool known as Washington, D.C.” 

“The enemies and traitors of America, both foreign and domestic, must be held accountable. And they will,” he continued. “There must long prison terms, while execution is the just punishment for the ringleaders of this coup.”

In another speech, prosecutors said Hostetter wanted members of Congress to feel like “those five million people outside the walls are gonna drag us out by our hair and tie us to a f‑‑‑ing lamp post.”

On the day of the Capitol riots, Hostetter came prepared with tactical gear, knives, a hatchet, pepper spray and other materials. He carried a bullhorn as rioters marched toward the Capitol, directing them, prosecutors said.

As rioters began entering the Capitol, he recorded a video on the building’s terrace.

“The people have taken back their house. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful sight in my whole life,” he said. “We’ve been sitting here quietly for years, watching this corruption unfold. Hundreds of thousands of patriots showed up today to take back their government.”

Hostetter was charged alongside four other members of the group “DC Brigade,” which organized activity before the riots. Three other members were also found guilty at trial, while a fourth pleaded guilty to similar charges.

More than 1,200 people have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol riots, the Justice Department said, including more than 400 for assaulting police officers.