D.C. drops charges against protester accused of punching cop protecting Rand Paul

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed his frustration on Wednesday after the Washington, D.C., government dropped charges against a Florida man accused of punching a police officer who was protecting Paul in 2020.

"Surprise, surprise. DC government drops charges against the thug who attacked and injured a DC policeman (a policeman who protected Kelley and I from an angry mob)," Paul wrote on Twitter. "And people wonder why violence is consuming our cities."

According to D.C. court records, the government gave notice of nolle prosequi on Jan. 27, effectively dropping the charges. Nolle prosequi is a Latin legal term that refers to "a legal notice or entry of record that the prosecutor or plaintiff has decided to abandon the prosecution or lawsuit."

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On Aug. 28, 2020, Paul and his wife were surrounded by protesters in D.C. as they returned to their hotel from the White House. Brennen Sermon of Orlando, Florida, was arrested and charged with assault on a police officer after allegedly punching one of the officers protecting the couple, the Courier Journal reported. Video of the incident shows police officers using their bicycles to hold back the crowd. Demonstrators can be heard shouting "Justice for Breonna Taylor!" and "Say her name!"

At the time, Paul hailed the officers as "brave" for "likely sav[ing] Kelley and me."

Two months prior to the attack, Paul introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, which would have banned no-knock raids like the one that resulted in Taylor's death.