Officer Sicknick Died After Chemical Spray Attack During January 6 Capitol Riot - Reports

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2021) US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was assaulted with a chemical spray that made him stumble away from a critical defense line that rioters broke through before storming the US Capitol on January 6, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, publishing new videos of the attack that killed the officer.

"The officer, Brian D. Sicknick, who had been guarding the west side of the Capitol, collapsed later that day and died the next night," the report said. "Little had been known about what happened to Officer Sicknick during the assault, and the previously unpublished videos provide new details about when, where and how he was attacked, as well as about the events leading up to the encounter."

Two rioters, Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios, were arrested on March 14 and charged with assaulting Sicknick and two other officers with a chemical spray.

The video clips published on Wednesday show Khater observing the tussle between protesters and police at the Capitol as tear gas and chemicals fired by the authorities wafted through the crowd. The two later huddle just a few yards from the police line.

Federal prosecutors allege that Khater and Tanios were carrying Frontiersman bear spray, which is manufactured by Sabre, a company that makes self-defense products including pepper spray and stun guns. Though made from the same ingredient, bear spray can be many times more powerful than pepper sprays sold for self-defense and is not meant for use on humans.