Proud Boy who boasted he 'bonked 2 cops' faces 3 to 4 years in prison after guilty plea

An Illinois member of the Proud Boys who struck officers with a flagpole on January 6 as they tried to defend the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 had pleaded guilty to felony charges.

James Elliott, 25 of Aurora, Illinois – aka, Jim Bob Elliott, pleaded guilty in theDistrict of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. He would receive a sentence ranging from 37 to 46 months under federal sentencing guidelines, subject to a judge’s final decision.

Elliott marched with other members of the Proud Boys to the Capitol wearing a ballistic vest, helmet, and hard-knuckle gloves – and carrying a radio and a flag with a wooden pole – according to court documents.

“Elliott illegally passed barriers and entered the restricted grounds of the Capitol. Shortly before 1:40 p.m., he arrived at the West Front of the Capitol. He faced a mob of rioters behind him and yelled a phrase inspired by a battle cry from the movie “300:” “Patriots, what is your occupation?” to which he responded, “Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh!” while thrusting his flagpole in the air.

“Elliott swung his flagpole at officers and then thrust it forward into the police line” during the early minutes of the riot, the documents stated. Police were attempting to replace bicycle rack barriers to hold back the mob on the LowerWest Terrace, and Elliott made contact with at least one, it was alleged.

But the defendant appeared to confess to more, after the riot.

“After Jan. 6, Elliott sent text messages describing his actions, saying, among other things, “I bonked 2 cops … never thought I’d say that lol,” the documents said.

In its reporting today, the Chicago Tribune added some background regarding Elliott’s arrest last December.

“Prosecutors said agents found bear spray in Elliott’s backpack when executing a search warrant on his home. Video footage from the Capitol riot showed Elliott carrying the American flag on a pole emblazoned with a Greek phrase that translates to “Come and take them,” a phrase “commonly used by individuals and groups as an anti-government rallying cry,” Assistant U.S. Attorney AaronBond said.

“As the crowd surges toward police chanting “Four more years!” and attempting to break through some metal barriers, Elliott allegedly can be seen swinging the flagpole in a downward motion at police causing at least one glancing blow on an officer’s head. Elliott then turns the flagpole and “thrusts” it horizontally toward an officer’s face, Bond said.”

And there was this:

“Elliott’s court-appointed attorney said last year her client is fully employed and lives in his parents’ basement in Aurora with his fiancée and their 2-year-old twins. He has no prior criminal record.

“Earlier this year, Elliott requested temporary relief from his electronic monitoring conditions so he could get married and have a honeymoon at the SixFlags Great America amusement park in Gurnee, court records show. The judge granted the request.”

Sentencing is set for Feb. 10, 2023.