Man Who Hit Police With Brick During Kenosha Unrest Gets Prison: DOJ

KENOSHA, WI — A man was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Thursday after he hospitalized a police officer by throwing a brick at him during civil unrest in Kenosha on Aug. 23, 2020, U.S. Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced in a news release Friday.

Ashton Howard, 29, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing a law enforcement officer while the officer was engaged in his official duties during civil disorder, the news release said.

The incident happened after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Court filings indicate that Howard was in a demonstration that gathered near the shooting, and when some members became violent and a police vehicle was damaged, Howard threw a brick, the news release said.

The officer was hit in the head, rendering him unconscious and requiring a trip to the hospital, the DOJ said. After the injury, video captured Howard yelling "I dropped his (vulgarity)," the news release said.

See also: A Year After Jacob Blake's Shooting: How Wisconsin Remembers

Howard later bragged to multiple people that he was the one who hit the officer, and photos and videos were found on his phone of the officer being hit alongside emojis, court documents said according to the DOJ release.

“Every day, law enforcement professionals – like the police captain whom Mr. Howard hit in the head with a brick – make sacrifices and put their own lives and well-being on the line to protect all of us,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad in the release. “Unlike individuals who sought to peacefully voice concern over social and racial justice issues in Kenosha and elsewhere, Mr. Howard chose to engage in violence – intentionally injuring someone who was seeking to prevent further violence in his community. I commend the resilience of this officer in quickly returning to duty despite his injuries and for his continued service to all who live and work in Kenosha.”

After his prison term, Howard will spend three years on supervised release and will have to pay $29,000 in restitution, the DOJ release said.

In the release, Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton said the sentencing is "reassuring that violence, especially when directed towards law enforcement, is never acceptable in our society."

See also: Rittenhouse Acquitted In Fatal Kenosha Protest Shooting