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Two Men Arrested for Assaulting Officer Who Died after Capitol Riot
Authorities arrested two men connected to the assault of Officer Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Policeman who died after the January riot. However, as per available documents, the two were not charged for killing him.
Law enforcement arrested Julian Elie Khater from Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios of West Virginia. The two were set to appear in a federal court hearing Monday. Both of them received nine counts of assault charges for attacking Sicknick.
A video captured how Khater sprayed a substance from a black canister onto Sicknick's face. He also appeared to spray the faces of other police officers.
He then waved a canister around five to eight feet from three police officers, which included Sicknick. All three reacted as if something was about to hit their faces.
According to an unidentified FBI agent, Khater and Tanios worked together so that they can law enforcement personnel by spraying an unidentified chemical on their faces and eyes.
Prosecutors managed to file charges after the FBI received tips that helped identify the two men from wanted images and police body camera footage.
Two Men Arrested in Connection to Death of Capitol Police Officer
Officers arrested Khater right as he got off a flight at Newark International Airport, as per the Department of Justice. Meanwhile, police arrested Tanios at his home.
In connection to violence that took place in the Capitol last Jan. 6, around 300 people received charges in federal court. Many of these defendants are aged 18 to 70 and are from at least 40 states in the U.S.
Officer Sicknick had passed away in the line of duty a day after the Capitol riot, as per authorities. According to the local police, he collapsed while he was in a district office, following encounters with rioters. He died the next day while he was in a hospital. According to a report by Sicknick himself, rioters had sprayed his face with an unknown substance.
The exact cause of the officer’s death has yet to be reported. A chemical spray, however, is one of the suspected causes.
During the siege at the Capitol, about 140 law enforcement officials suffered injuries.
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