1 year ago
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CNN —
A antheral who assaulted United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with capsicum spray connected January 6, 2021, was sentenced connected Friday to 80 months down bars.
Julian Khater pleaded blameworthy successful September to 2 counts of assaulting, resisting oregon impeding officers with a unsafe weapon. His co-defendant, George Tanios, pleaded blameworthy past summertime to disorderly behaviour and entering and remaining successful a restricted building. Khater was besides ordered to wage a $10,000 good and $2,000 successful restitution.
Tanios was sentenced to clip served and 1 twelvemonth of supervised release. He antecedently spent much than 5 months down bars.
The time aft the attack, Sicknick died aft suffering respective strokes. Washington, DC’s main aesculapian examiner, Francisco Diaz, determined that the serviceman died of earthy causes and told The Washington Post that the riot and “all that transpired played a relation successful his condition.”
Sicknick’s household and spouse were contiguous for the sentencing and instrumentality enforcement officers dressed successful azygous filled the courtroom.
According to the plea agreements, Tanios bought 2 cans of carnivore spray successful mentation for his travel with Khater to Washington connected January 6. During the Capitol attack, erstwhile the 2 men arrived adjacent a enactment of constabulary officers by the steps of the Capitol, Khater said to Tanios, “Give maine that carnivore s**t,” according to the plea.
Khater took a achromatic tin of carnivore spray from Tanios’s backpack, walked up to the enactment of officers and, arsenic rioters started pulling connected the motorcycle rack obstruction separating them and the police, Khater sprayed aggregate officers – including Sicknick – who had to retreat from the line.
One of those officers, Caroline Edwards, gave a witnesser interaction connection before DC District Judge Thomas Hogan during the sentencing hearing.
“I felt similar the implicit worst benignant of officer, idiosyncratic who didn’t assistance – couldn’t assistance – their friend,” she said of not being capable to assistance Sicknick aft being sprayed herself seconds aboriginal by Khater. “Sometimes erstwhile I adjacent my eyes I tin inactive spot his face, achromatic arsenic a sheet.”
Hogan called Khater’s actions that time “inexcusable,” adding that “three officers (who) were doing their work … are abruptly sprayed straight successful the face.”
“I’m not going to springiness a lecture connected the riot,” Hogan said, adding that “every clip you spot the video you’re shocked implicit again” and that “something has travel retired of this state that is very, precise serious.”
After recovering from the carnivore spray attack, Sicknick continued to assistance support the Capitol that day, according to tribunal documents, remaining connected work until precocious into the evening.
“Just earlier astir 10:00 p.m., Officer Sicknick began slurring his code portion talking to chap officers,” tribunal documents state. “He slumped backwards and mislaid consciousness, and exigency aesculapian technicians were summoned for assistance. He was transported to the George Washington University Hospital wherever helium remained connected beingness enactment for astir 24 hours and was pronounced dormant astatine 8:51 p.m. the pursuing day.”
Khater’s defence lawyer said that Hogan should not condemnation his lawsuit for the decease of Sicknick, which the lawyer noted was determined to beryllium of earthy causes. The justice agreed, noting helium “can’t condemnation Mr. Khater (for) causing serviceman Sicknick’s death.”
Calling his lawsuit “sheepish” and “sweet and gentle,” Khater’s lawyer said his actions that time amounted to seconds of “emotionally charged conduct” from a antheral who suffered from anxiety.
In his connection to the judge, Khater began by highlighting however agelong helium had already served down bars and however it had “taken a immense toll” connected him. “I privation I could instrumentality it each back,” helium said. “It’s not who I am.”
Hogan pressed Khater connected wherefore helium did not expressly apologize to the officers successful the courtroom and Sicknick’s family. “Somewhere on the lines we mislaid the consciousness of responsibility,” the justice said.
“It’s the elephant successful the room,” Khater said, adding that “there’s a civilian happening going on” – successful notation to a civilian suit from Sicknick’s property – and that his lawyer had warned him astir what to accidental successful tribunal Friday.
“You should beryllium afraid,” Hogan said of the lawsuit.
Sicknick’s partner, Sandra Garza, had asked the justice to enforce the maximum condemnation for some men.
“I recognize it volition not bring backmost Brian, nor springiness him bid successful his past moments connected earth, but it volition springiness immoderate consciousness of justness successful my universe,” Garza wrote to the judge.
“The lone happening that surpasses my choler is my sadness,” Sicknick’s brother, Kenneth, wrote successful his connection to the judge. “Sadness that the lone clip I tin pass with Brian is to talk into the nothingness and anticipation that helium is listening.”
Kenneth continued, “Brian was ne'er 1 for the spotlight. He preferred to spell astir his business, not bringing attraction to himself. My household and I softly grin astatine each different erstwhile we be an lawsuit honoring and remembering Brian and the upwind turns bad. We cognize it’s Brian telling america that it is OK, helium is OK, delight don’t marque a large woody astir me, instrumentality attraction of the others that request it. That’s what helium would person done.”
This communicative has been updated with further details.
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