Massachusetts doctor sentenced to prison for punching police officer during Capitol riot

In the Rotunda, Starer joined other rioters and attempted to get past police officers guarding a doorway to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. Starer pushed through other rioters and got to the front of the police line, where she yelled at officers.

When another rioter tried to restrain her, Starer grabbed his arm, pushed him down, and then shoved him into the police line. When one of those officers pushed Starer backwards, she turned around and punched the officer. The attack was captured on video by a police body camera.

“The rioters responded to the attack by becoming more aggressive and then storming the police line,” a Justice Department prosecutor wrote.

Starer's lawyers said she became angry at the rioter who tried to restrain her. She instinctively punched the officer's arm in response to the shove, her lawyers said. They argued Starer was reacting to the shove and was not motivated by the officer's professional status.

“Dr. Starer deeply regrets this entire interaction and is fully aware that it constituted criminal conduct on her part,” her lawyers wrote.

The judge said Starer raced toward the police cordon “like a heat-seeking missile.”

“Given the threat to the physical safety of our members of Congress, this is a pretty disturbing thing,” Kelly said.

The judge asked Starer where she wanted to go.

“The short answer is, 'I don't know,'” she replied.

Starer appeared to be struggling with the effects of the pepper spray as she left the Capitol about 15 minutes after entering the building.

“She received assistance from other rioters, including a rioter in camouflage clothing wearing a helmet with a military patch reading 'MILIZIA,'” the prosecutor wrote.

Starer's lawyers said she realized she had probably treated her last patient.

“Her inability to do the work she loves so much has left a very large void in her life that she will find difficult to fill,” they wrote.

Nearly 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riots. More than 900 of them have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms, with about two-thirds receiving sentences ranging from a few days to 22 years.