A Massachusetts physician who assaulted a police officer during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to nine months in prison followed by nine months of home confinement on Thursday.
Jacquelyn Starer, who was among the rioters inside the Capitol, struck the officer with a closed fist and hurled a vulgar insult. She addressed U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, expressing regret for her actions, including the “regrettable encounter” with the officer.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions that day and truly wish that reason had prevailed over my emotions,” Starer said.
Starer also offered an apology to the officer, who, according to court filings, was identified only by her initials. The officer described her fear for her life as she and other officers struggled for hours to protect the Capitol from the mob of Donald Trump supporters.
“Do you really take responsibility for your actions or are you just going to say: ‘It wasn’t my fault. Fight or flight’?” the officer asked Starer before she spoke in court.
Starer, 70, from Ashland, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in April to eight charges, including a felony assault count, without a plea agreement with the prosecutors.
The prosecution had recommended a prison term of two years and three months, while Starer’s defense team sought home confinement instead of incarceration.
Starer had her medical license revoked in Massachusetts in January 2023. She had been licensed since 1983 and primarily practiced addiction medicine before her arrest.
On January 6, Starer attended then-President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House before joining the crowd outside the Capitol. She entered the building through the Rotunda doors about 15 minutes after they were breached.
Inside the Rotunda, Starer attempted to push past police officers guarding a passageway to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. She moved through other rioters to reach the front of the police line and yelled at the officers.
Physician Who Punched A Cop in Capitol Hill (Photo: Jacquelyn Starer)
When another rioter tried to restrain her, Starer grabbed their arm, pushed it down, and then shoved against the police line. After being pushed back by an officer, Starer punched the officer, an act captured on video from a police body camera.
The Justice Department prosecutor noted that the assault led to an escalation, with rioters becoming more aggressive and charging the police line.
Starer’s attorneys contended that she was upset with the rioter who attempted to restrain her and that her punch was an instinctive reaction to being pushed, not motivated by the officer’s role.
“Dr. Starer deeply regrets this entire interaction and fully acknowledges that it constitutes criminal conduct,” her attorneys wrote.
Judge Kelly described Starer’s movement toward the police line as “like a heat-seeking missile,” reflecting the serious threat to the safety of Congress members.
When asked where she was trying to go, Starer responded, “The short answer is, ‘I don’t know.’”
Starer appeared to be struggling with the effects of pepper spray when she exited the Capitol about 15 minutes after her entry. “She received aid from other rioters, including one in camouflage with a military-style patch labeled ‘MILITIA,’” the prosecutor reported.
Her attorneys noted that Starer likely faced the end of her medical career, which has created a significant void in her life.
Nearly 1,500 individuals have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot, with over 900 convicted and sentenced, approximately two-thirds of whom received prison terms ranging from a few days to 22 years.
