Jacob Michael Gaines, 24, was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for brutally attacking a Deputy US Marshal with a hammer during a 2020 riot in Portland, Oregon.
Gaines, a Texas man that crossed state lines to participate in a riot perpetrated by Antifa militants last July, pleaded guilty in September to assault with a deadly weapon.
Scott Erik Asphaug, the Acting US Attorney for the District of Oregon, announced the sentencing in a press release on Monday and said that Gaines' actions that night could have killed the Deputy US Marshal.
"Mr. Gaines' actions in July 2020 were intentional, dangerous, and could have severely injured or killed the Deputy US Marshal who confronted him. His assault on a federal officer justifies the lengthy prison sentence imposed today," Asphaug said.
According to court documents, at approximately 1:00am on July 11, 2020, "Gaines was observed using a hammer to break through a barricaded entrance at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse. At the time, federal law enforcement personnel were staged inside the courthouse to protect the facility and respond to incidents. After Gaines drove a hole through the plywood barrier, Deputy US Marshals exited the door to prevent him from trespassing into the closed building."
"As the marshals were exiting the barricaded door, Gaines struck a Deputy US Marshal three times with the hammer. The deputy deflected the blows to prevent serious injury, but in process was struck in the left shoulder, lower neck, and upper back. While being struck, the deputy managed to hold onto Gaines while other officers handcuffed him and placed him under arrest," the court documents explained.
Gaines has been held in custody since his arrest on July 11, 2020, the night of the incident.
In addition to the 46 month sentence, Jacob Michael Gaines will be under three years of supervised release.