Two Men Arrested for Assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, Who Died After Jan. 6 Breach

Authorities confirmed two suspects were arrested and charged for assaulting Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the capital breach

NTD Newsroom

Published: 3/15/2021, 1:15:05 PM EDT

Two Men Arrested for Assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, Who Died After Jan. 6 Breach — The New Jersey Devils honor slain Capitol police officer and New Jersey native Brian Sicknick before the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins during the home opening game at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Jan. 14, 2021. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Authorities on Monday confirmed two suspects were arrested and charged for assaulting Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who reportedly died after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, although his cause of death has not been disclosed.

In a news release from the Department of Justice, Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, were taken into custody on Sunday in connection to the incident.

They were charged with conspiring to injure officers and assaulting federal officers, among other charges, during the Jan. 6 incident, the DOJ said. Khater was arrested after he got off an airplane at the Newark Airport in New Jersey, while Tanios was arrested at his West Virginia home.

The two were charged with one count each of conspiracy to injure an officer, three counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, one count of civil disorder, one count of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, and one count of physical violence on restricted grounds while carrying a dangerous weapon and resulting in significant bodily injury, among several other charges, according to officials.

Khater and Tanios were allegedly observed in video footage on Jan. 6 "working together" to try and assault law enforcement officers "with an unknown chemical substance" before spraying the officers in the eyes and face, according to the DOJ news release.

Sicknick and two other officers "were all standing within a few feet of Khater, each reacted to being sprayed in the face" with the substance, the DOJ said. "The officers retreated, bringing their hands to their faces and rushing to find water to wash out their eyes."

Officials also said that video footage was obtained that allegedly shows Khater asking Tanios to "give me that bear [expletive]," likely referring to bear spray—a chemical irritant similar to pepper spray. Tanios then replied, “Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet… it’s still early," officials said.

Members of the National Guard are seen on the east front of the U.S. Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) — Members of the National Guard are seen on the east front of the U.S. Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2021. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Khater is then seen getting a canister from Tanios' backpack and then aiming the can at officers while spraying, according to the Justice Department, citing video footage.

Court records also revealed that authorities searched Tanios' West Virginia property over the past weekend.

Tanios’s sister, Maria Butros, told the Washington Post on Monday that her brother “was arrested for something he didn’t do. He didn’t do it. He would never do that.”

Sicknick's cause of death has not yet been released by either the Capitol Police or the FBI. His mother, Gladys Sicknick, told the Daily Mail last month they believe Sicknick may have suffered a stroke, disputing reports from the New York Times and others that claimed he was beaten to death by protesters with a fire extinguisher. The NY Times later updated its story to say that his cause of death isn't yet known.

The Capitol Police stated after the breach that Sicknick “was injured while physically engaging with protesters” and collapsed after returning to his office. Then-U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said in a statement that the officer died of “the injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol." Neither mentioned bear spray.

And on March 2, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that the agency “cannot disclose the cause of death” of Sicknick. When pressed further by a senator about if the FBI has determined his cause of death, Wray said at the time, “I didn’t say that,” and again repeated that the FBI can’t disclose the cause of death.

So far, more than 300 people have been charged in connection to the Jan. 6 breach. Prosecutors last week said in court that 100 more people are expected to be charged.

It's not clear if either Khater or Tanios have attorneys.

From The Epoch Times