Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 32
- Location
- State College, Pennsylvania
- Charges
- Conspiracy to Impede or Injure an Officer; Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers using a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting (3 counts); Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon and Causing Significant Bodily Injury; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon and Causing Significant Bodily Injury; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon and Causing Significant Bodily Injury: Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
A little after 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, Julian Elie Khater was allegedly seen in a video on the U.S. Capitol grounds. According to court documents, Khater made his way toward another man charged in the attack, George Pierre Tanios, and said, "Give me that bear s***," referring to a "can of chemical spray" that he then pulled out of Tanios' backpack. A few minutes later, Khater walked over to a bike rack barrier and stood directly across from a line of U.S. Capitol Police, which included Officer Brian Sicknick. According to police body camera footage detailed in the court documents, Khater was about five to eight feet away from the officers when he appeared to spray them with the substance. Three officers, including Sicknick, immediately retreated from the line and needed to seek medical attention. Around 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, Sicknick died in a nearby hospital. It is not clear whether the chemical spray was the cause of death. In a statement that day, the U.S. Capitol Police said Sicknick was "injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed." According to local news, Khater was the manager and co-owner of a franchised cafe in State College, Penn., which closed in June.
Case History
Khater pleaded Guilty to two charges: Two counts of Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers using a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 1/27/2023 to six years and eight months incarceration, with credit for time served; 24 months supervised release; $10,000 fine; $2,000 restitution; $200 special assessment. Khater received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.