A new video released by The New York Times shows rioters attacking Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick during the Jan. 6 insurrection. In the clip, authorities identified rioter Julian Khater, who was arrested earlier this month. The video shows Khater approaching Sicknick with a spray can and spraying a substance toward him. Sicknick then tries to shield his face by turning away. The officer collapsed later that evening and died at a hospital the following day.
Footage of the incident was previously referenced by the FBI in their decision to arrest Khater and another rioter named George Tanios. The two men are charged with assaulting Sicknick and authorities believe they coordinated to spray bear spray on Sicknick and other officers.
According to the FBI, in the footage, Khater says to Tanios, “Give me that bear [spray].” Khater is then seen spraying the substance at Sicknick and the men “immediately retreat[ed] from the line, [brought] their hands to their faces and rush[ed] to find water to wash out their eyes,” court documents read.
So far, both Khater and Tanios are charged only with assault and not murder, since the exact cause of officer Sicknick’s death has not yet been confirmed. Police listed his death as in the line-of-duty and said he was injured “while physically engaging with protesters.”
The House of Representatives honored Sicknick and the other officers earlier this month after voting to award the Capitol Police force and Metropolitan Police Department Congressional Gold Medals for their efforts to defend the Capitol.
“What happened on Jan. 6 was an attack on the Capitol. The officers who defended us, both Capitol Police, the Metropolitan police [and] all the law enforcement officers who defended us put their lives on the line — some lost their lives — and there should be no question that we’re awarding people a gold medal for their actions on that day,” Rep. Liz Cheney told CNN at the time.
“Jan. 6 was a day of horror and heartbreak,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added on the floor. “It was also a moment of extraordinary heroism. That day the United States Capitol Police force put themselves between us and the violence.”
See the video of Khater spraying Sicknick during the riot below.