Jan 6 co-defendant charged in assault of Capitol police officers pleads guilty

A co-defendant has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the Capitol riot assault of three police officers, including Brian Sicknick, who died after the insurrection.

George Tanios pleaded guilty to two misdemeanours – trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds.

That was a reduction from what the 40-year-old initially faced – 10 counts including felony charges such as assaulting officers, obstructing Congress’s certification of the 2020 election results, and rioting, according to The Washington Post.

Sentencing guidelines recommend a sentence of as much as a year. The West Virginian has already spent five months in jail.

Tanios sentencing hearing is set to take place on 6 December. The sandwich shop owner’s co-defendant is Julian Elie Khater. They were both accused of assaulting Mr Sicknick, who was injured during the riot and died of natural causes the following day, according to officials.

Niether of the co-defendants is accused of having caused Mr Sicknick’s death.

In his plea, Tanios said he brought two cans of chemical spray to the nation’s capital, and that he gave one of the cans to Khater before they arrived at the Congressional complex.

Tanios later filmed his fellow rioters in hand-to-hand combat with officers.

Khater is set to go to trial on 5 October. Lawyers noted in court that they were discussing if he would be pleading guilty to two felony charges of assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, according to The Post.

While Tanios operated a Sanwhich shop, Khater ran a smoothie shop, both located in college towns.

Arrested in March of last year, just months after the riot, they pleaded not guilty to the assaults of Mr Sicknick, another Capitol Police officer, and a DC officer.

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