Nation

BREAKING: Two men charged with assaulting Capitol Police officer Sicknick

Published

9 months ago

March 15, 2021

Staff Writer

BREAKING STORY

Two men have been charged with assaulting late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with a chemical spray on January 6 during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to arrest warrants unsealed on Monday.

On Sunday, 32-year-old Julian Elie Khater of Pennsylvania and 39-year-old George Pierre Tanios of Morgantown, West Virginia were arrested, with the pair expected to appear in court on Monday, The Washington Post was first to report. The two were identified through video footage and other means spraying Sicknick outside the Capitol Building the day of the riot, the court documents say.

It should be noted that the suspects have not been charged with homicide. At this point, prosecutors have not directly implicated anybody in bringing about Sicknick’s death, since no official cause of death has been declared yet, which has drawn inquiry from lawmakers about what occurred.

MORE ON BRIAN SICKNICK: W ray can’t confirm cause of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick’s death

MORE ON BRIAN SICKNICK: Mother of late Capitol Police Officer Sicknick says she doesn’t believe her son was hit with fire extinguisher

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Nation

50-Foot Christmas Tree Outside Fox News Set on Fire by 49yr Old Homeless Man

Published

4 hours ago

December 8, 2021

Staff Writer

Just before 12:15 am Wednesday morning, an arsonist set fire to the 50-foot tree in front of Fox News’ Midtown headquarters on 6th avenue. The suspect, a 49-year-old with three prior arrests, was quickly caught and taken into custody.

The man has two previous arrests for drug possession and one for public intoxication. The motive is unclear, and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said detectives are looking into whether mental illness was a factor.

The suspect accused of setting the News Corp. Christmas tree on fire is taken into custody by the NYPD.

“The suspect is identified as 49-year-old Craig Tamanaha, who is homeless, with a last known address in Brooklyn” reports ABC 7 New York. Police said the suspect climbed up “the metal superstructure” underneath the artificial tree and lit papers he had brought with him on fire, then shoved the papers into the tree structure.

He then climbed down and watched from the street level as it burned, and he was spotted by building security who pointed the man out to police officers posted in nearby Rockefeller Center,” reports ABC.

A lighter was found in his possession, and he has been charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, arson, criminal nuisance, endangering others, criminal trespass, criminal tampering and disorderly conduct.

Fox says it will rebuild the tree, which took more than 21 hours to assemble and consisted of 10,000 glass ornaments and 100,000 lights.