David Nicholas Dempsey (photo, left), 37, of Van Nuys, California, was one of the most violent Jan. 6 rioters.
He “stomped on police officers’ heads,” the Associated Press says (here), and “swung poles at officers defending a tunnel, struck an officer in the head with a metal crutch and attacked police with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture” (more details here).
But this was predictable, given his violent criminal history. Before the Capitol riot, he amassed at least 18 other criminal cases over a period of 15 years, some politically motivated, others street crimes.
Dempsey is a fervent Trump supporter (see story here), commented about politics on Facebook, and committed politically motivated assaults at anti-Trump protests in 2019 and later.
These included beating peaceful protesters with skateboards and a metal bat, and bear-sprayed a peaceful group of anti-Trump protesters (read details at pp. 26-29 of sentencing memorandum here, which also describes his Jan. 6 crimes in exhaustive detail).
But his extensive criminal history, which began in 2003 when he was 16, also includes ordinary crimes typical of a career criminal: Burglaries, assaults (including assault with a deadly weapon), vandalism, selling drugs, using or possessing a stolen credit card, eluding police, and parole violation.
When not in prison he worked in construction or fast food, but his legal history paints a picture of a sociopath who lives by preying on society and can’t stay out of trouble.
The judge sentencing him for his Jan. 6 crimes agreed he’s a danger to society, and locked him up for 20 years, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
This means Dempsey will be 60 years old before he’s completely free again — unless Trump is re-elected and pardons him (Trump has promised to pardon Jan. 6 rioters).
America is safer with Dempsey off the streets, and I wouldn’t vote to pardon him.
Photo below: Dempsey, holding bear spray, being confronted by a police officer during a 2019 protest in California
