In a significant development related to the January 6 Capitol riot, a former Marine has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Tyler Bradley Dykes, an active-duty Marine at the time, played a direct role in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building, during which he apparently flashed a Nazi salute.

Dykes, a resident of South Carolina, forcefully grabbed a police riot shield from two officers and used it to push his way through police lines during the chaos caused by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Admitting to the assault charges, he pleaded guilty in April. It is worth noting that Dykes had a prior conviction related to the 2017 white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

After serving a six-month sentence in a state prison, Dykes was transferred to federal custody in 2023. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell pronounced the sentence of four years and nine months of imprisonment, as per the Justice Department. Prosecutors had recommended a slightly longer sentence of five years and three months, emphasizing Dykes' direct contribution to the extreme violence witnessed on the Capitol's east front.

Dykes' defense attorneys sought a two-year prison term, acknowledging the illegality and intolerability of his actions on January 6. According to them, Dykes deeply regrets his involvement in the Capitol riot and takes full responsibility for his actions while apologizing for them.

On the day of the riot, then 22-year-old Dykes traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally organized by Republican supporters of Donald Trump. Separating from his friends, Dykes proceeded to dismantle snow fencing and remove bicycle rack barricades as he made his way towards the Capitol.

Once there, he joined other rioters in forcefully breaching a line of police officers defending the stairs leading to the Capitol's East Rotunda Doors. Prosecutors alleged that after reaching the top of the stairs, Dykes celebrated his achievement by seemingly performing the Sieg Heil salute, a gesture associated with Nazi symbolism.

Furthermore, Dykes was seen entering the Capitol with the stolen riot shield, using it to assault police officers inside the building. This aggression forced the officers to retreat down a hallway. Dykes later handed the shield back to an officer before leaving the Capitol.

While Dykes denied performing a Nazi salute on January 6, prosecutors presented video evidence that captured his open-handed gesture. Additionally, in August 2017, Dykes was photographed participating in a march alongside tiki torch-toting white supremacists at the University of Virginia. The image shows him extending his right arm in a Nazi salute while holding a lit torch in his left hand. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of burning an object with intent to intimidate in connection to this incident in March 2023.

Dykes briefly attended Cornell University in the fall of 2017 before joining the Marine Corps, from which he was discharged in May 2023 under "other than honorable" conditions. Prosecutors highlighted how Dykes had chosen to dishonor his oath to protect and defend the Constitution through his criminal activities on January 6.

As the fallout from the Capitol riot continues, more than 1,400 individuals have been charged with federal crimes related to the incident. Of these, over 900 defendants have been sentenced, with the majority receiving prison terms ranging from a few days to 22 years.