Ex-NASCAR driver among 4 Penn. men charged in alleged Jan. 6 Capitol police assault
June 5 (UPI) -- Four Pennsylvania men, one an ex-NASCAR driver, on Wednesday were arrested on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting police at the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
Tighe Scott, 75, and his son Jarret Scott, 48, are both facing two felony and five misdemeanors offense charges.
And along with them, two other men were set to appear Wednesday at an initial hearing in Pennsylvania's Middle District, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington.
Authorities said they all allegedly were seen in attendance at the so-called "Stop the Steal" rally earlier in day on January 6 before making their way to the Capitol building's upper northwest terrace.
The January 6 riot notably disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to finalize the electoral college count for the 2020 election won by President Joe Biden amid the swirl of conspiracy theories about a rigged election spread by former President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Court documents show how the FBI confirmed Tighe Scott's identity in part because of body-cam and publicly available footage which helped identify the four men, and that a witness allegedly told federal agents that Scott was a retired NASCAR driver.
During his confrontation with police, it is alleged that Tighe Scott "engaged with police, physically struck riot shields and attempted to rip a riot shield out of an officer's hands."
The Scotts' two felony offenses include obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.
Their five misdemeanor charges include entering or remaining in restricted buildings or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building or grounds; and for violence in Capitol building or grounds.
Also charged in Wednesday's criminal complaint filed in Washington were Scott Slater Sr., 56, and his son Scott Slater Jr., age 26. Both Slaters live in Saylorsburg, the same town as Jarret Scott.
The federal government contends that the four individuals "verbally harassed a line of police officers as Slater Jr. picked up a flagpole and allegedly threw it towards the line, striking one of the officers. A few seconds later, Slater Jr. allegedly picked up an 'AREA CLOSED' sign and threw that sign at the line of officers."
The exact nature of the relationship between the four individuals is not clear.
The four men now join the more than 100 Pennsylvania citizens, with the more than 1,400 people from nearly all 50 states, who have since been charged by the Justice Department for their alleged roles in the U.S. Capitol attack.
Tighe Scott, of Pen Argyl in eastern Pennsylvania's Northampton County, raced in the NASCAR Cup Series over six years. He began his career at the 1976 Daytona 500 and finished 6th in 1979. His final race was six years later at the 1982 Daytona 500.
The former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver owns A. Scott Enterprises Inc., a construction and excavation business in Saylorsburg.
As recently as 2019, the elder Scott was cited on social media by fellow NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a seemingly friendly post.
"Tighe Scott in his final cup start," Earnhardt posted on X in December that year. "The crash footage was featured in the movie Stroker Ace."
