A physical altercation broke out on Monday during a hearing for Vitali GossJankowski, a J6 defendant convicted of assaulting police during the Capitol riot.
Gossjankowski was tackled to the ground by court officers after he refused to surrender when a judge ordered him into custody over threats he made against federal agents.
Fracas in the courtroom in January 6 hearing. Agents tossed to the ground. Podium, equipment toppled.
In a case in which defendant was also accused of doxing federal agents and posting on-line threats
Just filed to @cbsnews =====> https://t.co/7caXWTMhcb
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 30, 2023
From ABC News:
Vitali Gossjankowski, a former student at D.C.’s Gallaudet University, was found guilty by a jury earlier this year for assaulting officers during the Capitol attack, including with an electroshock device. GossJankowski was acquitted of using a deadly or dangerous weapon during the riot.
While he was initially ordered released from custody as he awaited sentencing, Judge Paul Friedman scheduled a hearing for Monday morning after federal prosecutors reported multiple menacing texts and posts they said he had sent targeting law enforcement, including one officer who had testified during his trial.
According to prosecutors, the agent he allegedly texted was one who had arranged his first interview with the FBI and ultimately arrested him in 2021 following the Capitol attack.
“As noted, since last weekend, the defendant’s conduct has escalated significantly,” prosecutors wrote in their filing earlier this month. “Previously, the defendant had used his social media to track and publicly harass members of law enforcement and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. This alone was concerning. But now, he has sent intimidating, direct messages to a specific law enforcement officer who previously testified in this case.”
From Newsweek:
GossJankowski became irate and began resisting federal agents who tried to detain him, nearly knocking over a table, as explained by reporter Scott MacFarlane, who was present in the courtroom. MacFarlane also noted the difficulty the agents had getting the defendant under control, due to his height, 6-feet-3-inches, and muscular, with the reporter comparing him to a football player.
A physical altercation broke out at a Jan. 6 defendant's court hearing after he was sentenced to jail for threats targeting federal agents. @MacFarlaneNews was there and details why it will be "singed in the memories of everybody who was in the courtroom." https://t.co/0vRrErnZP1 pic.twitter.com/0xpbcvyUD1
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 30, 2023
“Marshals order courtroom cleared as GossJankowski is physically resisting agents who are trying to cuff him,” MacFarlane wrote in a series of posts to X, the platform previously known as Twitter. “He makes gutteral [sic] screams and fights off agents. A computer plunges off defense table in the scrum. Other agents from elsewhere in courthouse run into Judge Friedman’s courtroom to corral GossJankowski, who is huge and strong.”
He continued: “Seven to eight agents finally get GossJankowski under control. He’s going straight to DC jail. Gossjankowski is built like a Division-1 linebacker. Took a while for Feds to contain him.”
In a statement to ABC News, Matthew Peed, GossJankowski’s attorney, said the hearing was “a confusing and emotional moment” for the defendant, adding that he’d maintained proper decorum throughout all his proceedings.
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