Feds charge 2 Capitol rioters with assaulting police officer who later died

U.S. authorities have arrested and charged two men — Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios — with assaulting Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, The Washington Post reports.

Sicknick died following the attack, although the cause of death has yet to be determined, meaning his case has not been established as a homicide. Therefore, it remains unclear if anyone will be charged directly in connection with his death, the Post notes.

Prosecutors reportedly zeroed in on Khater and Tanios after tipsters identified them from wanted images taken from surveillance video and police body camera footage that was released by the FBI. In a video, arrest papers allege, Khater can be seen discharging a bear spray canister into the faces of Sicknick and two other officers.

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Khater and Tanios were charged with nine counts overall, including assaulting Sicknick, civil disorder, and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. They could face up to 20 years in prison. Read more at The Washington Post.