A 39-year-old Minnesota woman was beaten nearly 40 times in 4 minutes by Capitol Police on January 6, 2021, yet faces four felonies for her presence at the Capitol. The woman, Victoria C. White, is simultaneously suing the Metropolitan Police Department, the police chief, and other officers for the beating she endured.
White, after meeting with several members of the House of Representatives, has decided to reject a plea offer from federal prosecutors.
On January 6, 2021, White was present at the U.S. Capitol protests. In surveillance footage from just inside the Capitol building’s west tunnel entrance, White is seen being beaten over the head by a metal police baton, receiving several punches, being grabbed and shaken by the hair, and being sprayed with pepper spray.
Bodycam footage showed White being thrown around like a rag doll between the officers and before she was finally led out of the tunnel, her pants were pulled partially down.
“The first blow came to me by a metal baton. It was really bad. I remember just trying to keep myself up because I was scared I would be trampled,” reported White. “Originally I thought I just got hit like three times on the head but it wasn’t until I saw the video that I realized how bad it was in the tunnel.’’
Use-of-force expert Stan Kephart reported that the attacking officer was using deadly force.
“The head is a sphere. What happens when you strike a spherical object with a blunted object at least resistance, [it] glances off the head,” Kephart said. “That’s a possibility. The second thing is you can hit them flush and kill them.”
On February 6 and 7, a group of people who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including White, met with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and discussed the investigation into their mistreatment, lack of a fair trial, political prisoners, and weaponization of the feds against them.
Also present in this meeting was Ashli Babbitt’s mother, Micki Witthoeft; Guy Reffitt’s wife, Nicole Reffit; David Valentine, the founder of Freedom Express Media; and others tied to Jan. 6.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates has scheduled a plea hearing for the morning of February 10 in Washington’s federal courthouse. White has been charged with civil disorder and aiding and abetting, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
She pled not guilty to all of these charges.
On Tuesday, White confirmed her plan for Friday’s hearing, posting on Twitter, “I will NOT be taking a plea deal.”
White’s trial is set to begin on May 8 in Washington, D.C.
