Man accused of pepper spraying U.S. Capitol police pleads guilty to assault

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A New Jersey man accused of pepper spraying cops throughout the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, together with one who died the following day, pleaded responsible on Thursday to felony assault prices, the Justice Division mentioned.

Julian Khater and a childhood good friend, George Tanios, had pepper and bear spray with them as they breached the Capitol grounds, the division mentioned. Khater sprayed three officers straight within the face with the pepper spray, the division mentioned.

Tanios, 40, who was initially charged with legal counts together with felony assault, pleaded responsible in July to lesser misdemeanor prices. Prosecutors had supplied Khater, 33, a deal by which he would plea responsible to 2 felony assault counts.

Khater pleaded responsible to the 2 counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a harmful weapon throughout a listening to in U.S. District Court docket, the division mentioned. He will probably be sentenced on Dec. 13, it added.

Khater faces a most sentence of 20 years in jail and a high-quality not exceeding $250,000, in keeping with his plea settlement. Tanios faces a time period of zero to 6 months in jail beneath U.S. sentencing tips.

One of many officers Khater is accused of spraying is Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died of pure causes following a number of strokes the day after the assault. Tanios and Khater weren’t charged in reference to Sicknick’s dying.

The 2 males have been amongst hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to dam Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

The Justice Division says it has arrested greater than 860 individuals for crimes associated to the breach of the Capitol, together with over 260 who have been charged with assaulting or impeding regulation enforcement.

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Enhancing by Richard Chang)