Hater pleaded guilty to charges punishable by up up to 20 years in prison but faces a likely verdict of 78 to 97 months in accordance with federal guidelines agreed upon with prosecutors. He spent 17 months behind bars since its arrest and will be sentenced on 13 December.
boats plea decides one of the loudest attacks on police in January 6 riot in almost 140 defendants were charged. with attack against Officer. Childhood friends Hater, 33, and Tanios, 40, deployed chemical spray against officers in charge back wild crowd on Western Terrace of Capitol, injuring Siknik and others at a delicate moment in police lines.
Siknik, 42, passed out hours later and died next day of natural causes, the officials said. It is stated that neither Thanios nor Hater caused siknik death.
In his plea, Tanios admitted that he brought both the bear and the pepper spray to Washington. one canister Hateru in front of them arrival in the Capitol.
Tanios plea the agreement did not require him to cooperate with prosecutors, although admitted that he did not information challenge or refute accusations against Hater in closing indictment.
Hater confessed to using pepper spray at close range range in faces of Siknick, Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, and a D.C. Police Officer identified as B. Chapman, from the police line, forcing them out of their posts. At the bail hearing prosecutors claimed that Hater moved to spray second group before being pushed away by a police lieutenant who shot him with a chemical irritant using Super Soaker type device.
“Give me that bear shit,” Cater said to Tanios. on video recorded nine minutes earlier at 2:14 pm on the Lower West Terrace. of The Capitol, where Siknik and other officers stood guard behind metal racks for bicycles plea.
“Hold on hold on not yet, not yet … it’s too early,” Thanios allegedly replied.
In the indictment documents, the FBI agent said the exchange showed the two were “working.” in concert and planned use toxic spray against law enforcement agencies.” The agent claimed that Kater “appeared to be counting on the deployment of chemicals match up with attempts by other rioters to forcibly remove barriers to bike racks that interfered with rioters moving closer to the Capitol building”.
Thanios’ lawyer claimed that his client was within 30 feet of Hater when he sprayed the police and did not help or abet anyone. crime.
Khater lawyer Joseph Tacopina said his client never coordinated or planned attack police and never entered the Capitol building.
“It wasn’t the plan. It was a reaction to police spraying him, Tacopina said. “He used defensive spray.”
Siknik had two strokes after being at the Capitol that day, officials said. The medical examiner said the autopsy found there is no evidence that Siknik had an allergic reaction to chemical irritants. There was also no evidence of internal or external injuries, the medical examiner said.
Hater and Tanios are arrested. in March 2021. At the hearing last year ordering boats detention pending trial, U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan said video of attacks on three officers showed the degree of intentionality and possibility for future danger.
“These two gentlemen are law-abiding, respectable individuals. in in the community and it makes it very difficult for court to reach that conclusion, but they did it anyway attack on police officers in uniform. I do not find way around it,” Hogan said at the time.
