Washington DC - A January 6 rioter accused of assaulting a Capitol officer who killed himself days later has been ordered to pay a huge sum to the victim's family.

According to NBC News, an eight-member jury ruled on Monday that David Walls-Kaufman (69) must pay $500,000 to the widow and estate of Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith.

On January 6, 2021, as supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn what the president claimed to be a fraudulent election, Walls-Kaufman allegedly assaulted Smith with the officer's baton.

Nine days later, as Smith was returning to work for the first time since the riots, he shot and killed himself with his service weapon.

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Though the assault was caught on Smith's body cam, Walls-Kaufman denied the allegations against him and described the ruling as "absolutely ridiculous."

"No crime happened. I never struck the officer. I never intended to strike the officer," he said. "I'm just stunned."

Walls-Kaufman's attorney, Hughie Hunt, argued to District Judge Ana Reyes that the jury's decision was "shocking," as the incident was "a three-second event."

"It's not shocking, Mr. Hunt. A lot of things can happen in three seconds," Reyes replied.

Walls-Kaufman was originally ordered to serve a 60-day prison sentence for a misdemeanor charge related to the riots, but was pardoned by Trump, along with thousands of other rioters, back in January.

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