On September 28, Christopher Worrell, 52, a member of the right-wing extremist group the Proud Boys, was arrested by the FBI for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Worrell, a resident of Naples, Florida, had disappeared in August just before he was set to be sentenced for several felonies he was convicted of over his conduct during the riot.
In May 2023, a judge found Worrel guilty of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with dangerous weapons and obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. He was also found guilty of obstructing, impeding or interfering with officers during the commission of a civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct, engaging in physical violence, and more. The verdict followed a five-day bench trial.
The sentence memo, filed on August 13 by the Justice Department, reported, “Once on Capitol grounds, Worrell spewed vitriol for half an hour at the overwhelmed officers restraining the mob… And when he saw an opportunity to pepper spray the police line from deep within the crowd, Worrell took it.”
Court records say that on January 6, Worrel arrived at the Capitol dressed in a tactical vest and pepper gel in hand. He warned officers as he passed, “Don’t make us go against you.”
When informed that Worrell had disappeared, the case’s judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Worrell had been under house arrest after court records showed he had complained about the treatment at the Washington, D.C. jail. The federal judge allowed him to await his sentence while on house arrest.
Prosecutors have sought a 14-year prison sentence for Worrell.
