Milton Student Who Assaulted Police Officer In Jan. 6 Riot Sentenced

WASHINGTON — A Milton student convicted of assaulting a police officer and sitting in former Vice President Mike Pence's chair during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol siege was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison, The Associated Press reported.

According to the report, Bruno Joseph Cua, who was 18-years-old and in high school at the time, was one of the youngest people to face charges in the attack on the Capitol. His prison release will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Cua was convicted in February of obstructing the Jan. 6 congressional proceeding and assaulting a federal officer after a stipulated bench trial, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, who sentenced Cua, believed he was remorseful, the Associated Press reported.

Rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of the electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election, during which Democratic candidate Joe Biden defeated Republican incumbent Donald Trump.

The FBI began investigating Cua on Jan. 8, 2021, after receiving at least two tips that identified him as a participant in the riot, according to an arrest warrant complaint filed on Jan. 29, 2021, through the U.S. court system.

Three days later, a Milton police officer reported Cua to the FBI and identified him in a photograph from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. The photo was linked to an MPD presentation titled, "Persons of Interest in Unrest-Related Offenses."

The complaint stated screenshots from Cua's social media account were also used to identify the student. He was seen in the images wearing jeans, a dark sweatshirt and a red hat with the number "45" on it while holding a jean jacket with tan lining in his left hand, according to the complaint.

Cua was accused of sharing on the evening of Jan. 6 comments on his Instagram story that he "stormed" the Capitol and "physically fought" his way inside of the building.

According to the complaint, The New Yorker published a video that features Cua in the Senate Gallery. The clothing description matches the photos presented to the FBI, according to the complaint. Cua was accused of filming himself in the Gallery.

“They can steal an election, but we can’t sit in their chairs,” Cua is heard saying off camera, the complaint stated.

The Milton officer identified the voice in the video as belonging to Cua, according to the complaint.

Cua was accused of fighting U.S. Capitol plain clothes officers while holding a baton in his hand. He was accused of pushing an officer in front of the Senate chambers door and entering the chambers.

Prosecutors said during a court hearing Cua spent weeks preparing his attack on the Capitol, the Associated Press reported.

At least 1,000 people have been charged in the U.S. Capitol attack.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.