Morgantown, West Virginia, restaurant owner George Tanios, 39, has been arrested and charged in the assault of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to federal court documents.
Tanios and Julian Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, were arrested on Sunday and are expected to appear in court on Monday.
“Give me that bear s--t,” Khater said to Tanios on recorded video during the Jan. 6 riots before spraying the chemical several times onto law enforcement officers, arrest papers said.
The two men are charged with nine counts, including the assault on Sicknick, who died the next day from his injuries. According to the Associated Press, investigators initially thought a fire extinguisher hit Sicknick in the head, but in recent weeks, investigators now believe he may have ingested a chemical substance.
Tanios has operated Sandwich U in Morgantown for over a decade. Tanios was identified by a former business partner in a legal dispute over the reported embezzlement of $435,000 from their former business, the arrest papers said.
At least 29 people from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio have been arrested on charges relating to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The map below shows the home counties of those arrested around the Ohio Valley as of March 15.
Duncan Slade reports for partner station West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Dave Mistich of WVPB contributed to this report.
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