According to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, a retired NASCAR driver and his son were detained Wednesday and accused, along with two other Pennsylvania men, of allegedly attacking police during the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol.
For allegedly assaulting members of the pro-Trump mob outside the Capitol, Tighe Scott, 75, and his son Jarret Scott, 48, face two felonies and numerous misdemeanors.
According to the charging documents, the FBI validated Tighe Scott’s identity in part because a witness informed agents that he was a retired NASCAR driver.
Scott competed in dirt racing before transitioning to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While he never won a NASCAR race, he did finish in the top ten several times and had three appearances at the Daytona 500, finishing sixth in 1979.
Prosecutors say that the two Scotts, along with another Pennsylvania father and son, Scott Alex Slater Jr. and Scott Slater Sr., physically and verbally harassed law enforcement while attempting to protect the Capitol. They used a variety of objects, including flagpoles, golf clubs, and a “Area Closed” sign, to throw or strike at a line of police trying to control the mob.
On the day of the riot, video footage from the Stop the Steal event identified the four individuals. According to the criminal complaint, during the event, the guys rushed to the Capitol building and “began yelling at the line of officers attempting to clear the area.”
Slater Jr. allegedly yelled “f— you, motherf—–” before tossing a flagpole and the “Area Closed” sign at the officers.
All four individuals “resisted and confronted the police line,” according to the complaint, with the two Scotts allegedly shoving into officers’ shields and the younger Scott carrying a golf club.
An officer allegedly “attempted to rip the shield” from Tighe Scott’s hands before pushing him away and causing him to fall backward. The complaint claims that his father’s fall knocked Jarrett Scott backward, leading him to allegedly jeer at cops while using profanity.
Neither of the men currently has a lawyer listed. On Wednesday, a federal court in Pennsylvania scheduled their first appearances.
As of May 6, more than 1,424 people had been arrested in connection with the January 6 incident, with around 820 pleading guilty, according to the Justice Department.