Two MAGA rioters accused of spraying police with chemicals during the attack on Capitol Hill, including on Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who later died, will stay in jail as they await trial, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday after denying their release on bail.
In his ruling, Judge Thomas Hogan of the DC District Court said that Trump supporters George Tanios and Julian Khater spraying toxic chemicals at police during the riot “wasn’t just out of the blue. They “had a plan to use those devices as weapons at the Capitol,” Hogan added.
Tanios is accused of buying pepper and bear spray in West Virginia to bring to the election protests, then carrying it in his backpack in the crowd on January 6. Khater is alleged to have pulled out the chemical spray during the riot and fired it in the faces of three officers, including Sicknick, injuring them as the police line around the Capitol building began to fall.
The ruling from Judge Hogan comes in one of the most closely watched cases related to Trump supporters’ violence against police during the insurrection.
Tanios and Khater have pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of assaulting police and other charges. They face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
