Prosecutors say Christopher Worrell of Florida went to the Capitol on January 6 armed with pepper spray and then used it against a line of police officers guarding the complex. He was photographed near the Capitol wearing a tactical vest and a radio headset, gathered outside the building with other members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist organization.
He was charged with five federal crimes: involvement in violence in restricted areas, deliberate entry into restricted areas, disorderly conduct in restricted areas, violent entry to the Capitol and obstruction of Congressional procedures. He has not yet filed an appeal.
Worrell appeared in federal court on Friday and was released by a federal judge in the Central District of Florida. The Justice Department promptly appealed that decision and the chief judge of the federal court in Washington, DC, temporarily suspended his release pending further review.
A lawyer listed in the Worrell court records did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
Later, when an FBI agent asked Worrell about the group, Worrell said, “The Proud Boys were not a white supremacist racist group as the media tries to portray,” according to court documents.
Nearly 20 people linked to the Proud Boys were charged in the Capitol riot, according to a CNN review of court documents. This includes well-known leaders of the organization, people who attended the Proud Boys rallies and others who wore the Proud Boy badge.