Justice Department
- A former NYPD officer was found guilty of seven counts related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
- Prosecutors say Sara Carpenter spent approximately 35 minutes inside the building.
- Carpenter wielded a tambourine while she walked throughout the Capitol that day.
A retired New York Police Department officer was convicted of seven counts related to her role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot after prosecutors said she shoved and slapped several police officers during the 2021 insurrection.
A federal jury in Washington, DC, found Sara Carpenter, 53, guilty of two felonies and five misdemeanors earlier this month, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, disorderly conduct, and violent entry.
Carpenter was caught on CCTV footage throughout the Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to court documents. Prosecutors said she wielded a tambourine, which she shook several times while walking through the building, and shouted "I'm a fucking animal" while confronting a line of police officers.
According to investigators, Carpenter pushed up against law enforcement officers who were guarding a Senate hallway and slapped the arms of law enforcement agents who were trying to hold back rioters.
Despite having been sprayed with chemical irritants, Carpenter stayed inside the Capitol for approximately 35 minutes, prosecutors said. When she finally did leave the building, she raised her tambourine above her head and shook it, according to a Justice Department press release.
After exiting, prosecutors said Carpenter exclaimed: "The breach was made. It needs to calm down now. Congress needs to come out. They need to certify Trump as president. This is our house."
Officials arrested Carpenter in New York in March 2021. The FBI received an anonymous tip one day after the attack alleging Carpenter had called a relative and identified herself as having been present at the insurrection, complaining that she was hit with tear gas, according to a criminal complaint.
In an interview with investigators about a week later, Carpenter admitted that she drove down to DC for the rally and said she had been closely following then-President Donald Trump's social media. She also acknowledged that police officers at the Capitol on January 6 were telling people to leave.
According to court documents, Carpenter voluntarily handed over her tambourine following her interview with officers.
An attorney for Carpenter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. She is set to be sentenced in July.
At least 1,000 people have been charged in relation to the deadly attack.