A retired NASCAR driver and his son were charged Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to authorities.
Tighe Scott, 75, and Jarret Scott, 48, were arrested by federal officers alongside another Pennsylvania father-son duo and charged with two felony offenses, including obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. The pair also face five misdemeanor charges, according to the Justice Department.
The Scotts scuffled with law enforcement officers trying to hold the line outside the federal building, with police body camera footage showing the elder Scott punching at one officer’s riot shield and trying to rip another’s shield away.
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When an officer shoved Scott away, his son, wielding a golf club, began screaming. He called the officers “bitches” and “vaginas,” according to charging documents, as well as “fuck you all” and “you fat motherfucker.”
Federal authorities tracked them down with the help of an anonymous tipster, who contacted the FBI in January 2022 after agents published images of the Scotts and asked for the public’s help in identifying them. The tipster said that one of the men was Tighe Scott and, though he didn’t know Scott personally, provided the FBI with “a link to an article in dirttrackdigest.com” with information about him.
Tighe Scott makes his NASCAR Cup debut at Talladega Superspeedway driving this Chevrolet for car owner Walter Ballard in the Winston 500, finishing in 17th position.
ISC Images & Archives via Getty ImagesThe article reported that Scott lives in Pennsylvania “near his grandchildren that he sees everyday and is loving it,” and included photos of him that appeared to match the images from the Capitol riot.
Scott raced cars in the 1970s and 1980s, with the pinnacle of his career coming in 1979, when he placed sixth in the Daytona 500.
“I have a lot of good memories from that race,” he told The Morning Call.
The Scotts now face up to five years in prison on the most serious felony charges they face.
Also charged in Wednesday’s criminal complaint were Scott Slater Sr., 56, and Scott Slater Jr., age 26. Slater Jr. is accused of pitching a flagpole and an “AREA CLOSED” sign at the officers defending the Capitol, according to the Justice Department.
In the 40 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,400 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states with crimes related to the attack, authorities said Wednesday. The investigation remains ongoing.
