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A former U.S. Capitol Police officer was sentenced to 21 months in prison Monday for violating an individual’s civil rights as he was involved in an unauthorized high-speed chase that resulted in a crash, authorities say.
Officer Thomas Smith was supposed to be checking on the homes of members of Congress in the Georgetown area at about 11:30 p.m. June 20, 2020, when he started pursuing two motorcycles, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Smith “closely” followed the motorcyclists at a “high rate of speed” before he swerved his marked patrol car into one of the motorcyclists, sending that driver flying into the air. Smith left the injured driver unconscious on the concrete, switched out his car, failed to file a report and falsified police records to cover up his actions, prosecutors said.
Smith pleaded guilty last October to deprivation of rights under color of law.
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Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said the department will aggressively prosecute officials, including law enforcement, who abuse positions of power.
“Endangering community members in this manner and disregarding the law violates the victims’ civil rights and erodes trust by those the police are sworn to protect and serve,” Clarke said in a statement.
U.S. Capitol Police policy prohibits officers from pursuits outside of the grounds of the Capitol without permission from a supervisor, which Smith did not seek or alert, prosecutors say.
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In addition to his prison sentence, Smith was sentenced to 24 months of supervised release, 40 hours of community service and pay restitution of $4,455.
