A federal district court judge denied bail on Tuesday for two men charged with assaulting Capitol Police officers on Jan. 6, according to multiple sources.
Judge Thomas Hogan ruled that Julian Khater and George Tanios will remain in prison until their scheduled court dates after allegedly spraying three police officers, including Officer Brian Sicknick, with bear and pepper spray, according to court documents. Hogan said there is evidence that the two suspects pose a potential threat to their communities, according to The Hill.
“Both [the defendants’] history and characteristics do not weight in favor of detention, but they still committed this attack on uniformed police officers, and I don’t find a way around that,” the judge said, according to The Hill.
The judge denied defense attorneys’ allegations that Khater and Tanios used the spray as an act of self-defense, saying they had the intention of using the spray to attack officers.
“You can bring a pocket knife to D.C., which is legal, but at the point you use it on police it is illegal,” Hogan said, according to WUSA. “Obviously they had some intention to use the product. It seems they definitely planned it at that point. The only targets they were worried about using the spray to attack were the police.”
Tanios attorney argued he brought pepper gel/bear spray to DC Jan 6 for self defense from violence against Trump supporters. Khater attorney said he sprayed officers in reaction to being sprayed himself. Judge said a timeline of the video disproves both arguments. #CapitolRiots
— Eric Flack (@EricFlackTV) May 11, 2021
Hogan said their behavior contributed to the breaching of the Capitol and therefore must be held accountable. (RELATED: Florist Charged In Capitol Riot Asks Judge For Permission To Attend Bonding Retreat In Mexico)
“That assault helped lead to the violent breach of the Capitol. And that indicates finding a dangerousness. The conduct contributed to the chaos on Capitol Hill,” Hogan said.
Khater and Tanios allegedly worked together to spray unknown chemicals into the officers’ face and eyes, according to court documents. Footage showed the officers reacting to the chemicals by retreating from the scene and washing their eyes out.
Officer Edwards suffered from lasting eye injuries and scabbing for weeks, the documents reported. Sicknick died the day after the riot after suffering from two strokes, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported.
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