On Friday, a former Marine who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, and was caught on camera flashing a Nazi salute in front of the building, was sentenced to almost five years in prison.
During the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, Tyler Bradley Dykes, an active-duty Marine from South Carolina, took matters into his own hands. He seized a police riot shield from two officers and used it to forcefully push through police lines.
In April, Dykes admitted to assault charges and had previously been convicted for his involvement in the 2017 white nationalist rally, Unite the Right, in Charlottesville, Virginia. After serving a six-month sentence in state prison, Dykes was transferred to federal custody in 2023.
According to the Justice Department, Dykes, who is 26 years old, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell to four years and nine months in prison.
Dykes was facing a possible prison sentence of five years and three months, as recommended by federal prosecutors.
According to the prosecutors, the accused played a significant role in inciting the violent acts that took place on the east front of the Capitol building.
According to Dykes’ attorneys, they have requested a two-year prison sentence, acknowledging that Dykes is aware of the fact that his actions on Jan. 6 were “illegal, indefensible, and intolerable.”
According to his lawyers, Tyler despises his participation in the Capitol riot and fully acknowledges the responsibility of his actions. He sincerely apologizes for his conduct.
At the age of 22, Dykes made his way to Washington, D.C. to join the Republican Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally alongside two of his companions from Bluffton, South Carolina. Upon separating from his friends, Dykes proceeded towards the Capitol, tearing down snow fencing and moving aside bicycle rack barricades as he went.
Dykes joined forces with other rioters and broke through a line of police officers who were guarding the stairs that led to the Capitol’s East Rotunda Doors.
According to prosecutors, Dykes celebrated his achievement by performing what seems to be the Sieg Heil salute after he reached the top of the stairs.
According to prosecutors, Dykes entered the Capitol after seizing a riot shield from two officers. The shield was held in one hand as he triumphantly raised his other hand in celebration. Dykes then proceeded to use the shield to attack police officers within the building, causing them to retreat down a hallway.
After departing from the Capitol, Dykes handed over the shield to an officer.
Although Dykes denied performing a Nazi salute on Jan. 6, prosecutors claim that video footage clearly shows him making an open-handed gesture resembling the salute.
Victims of the ‘Unite the Right’ rally will receive over $2 million in compensation from the groups responsible.
In August 2017, Dykes was photographed joining white supremacists who were carrying tiki torches on a march through the University of Virginia’s campus. The march took place on the eve of the Unite the Right rally. One of the photos shows Dykes extending his right arm in a Nazi salute while holding a lit torch in his left hand.
Dykes faced legal consequences in March 2023, as he was taken into custody for his involvement in the march. He admitted to committing a serious offense of deliberately setting fire to an object to intimidate others, resulting in a felony charge against him.
After enrolling at Cornell University in the fall of 2017, Dykes decided to join the Marine Corps. However, in May 2023, he was discharged from the military due to “other than honorable” conditions.
Prosecutors stated that Dykes’s actions on January 6 demonstrated a clear violation of his oath to protect and defend the Constitution, instead of honoring it.
Over 1,400 individuals have faced federal charges in connection to the Capitol riot. Out of those, over 900 have received sentencing, with approximately two-thirds being handed prison terms that vary from a few days to 22 years.
