Juan Herrera
WMAL NEWS
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has now charged more than 156 people for protest-related violence in the nation’s capital since May 2020.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, this is the highest number of people charged in any federal district in the country.
Brennan Sermon, who is accused of assaulting a police officer protecting Senator Rand Paul outside the White House back in August, is among those who have received charges.
The U.S. attorney’s office has also charged six people for their role in inciting violence and destroying federal monuments in Lafayette Square back in June and a group of 20 people who allegedly assaulted civilians and police officers.
“Freedom of expression and the ability to openly voice dissent remains the bedrock of our democracy. As we have unfortunately witnessed in the District of Columbia over the past several months, scores of individuals have committed criminal acts upon innocent people and property under the guise of free expression. This will not be condoned,” stated Michael R. Sherwin, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.
According to the release, investigations remain on-going. The Metropolitan Police Department is also working closely with federal law enforcement to see if there is an “organized architecture” among those who have committed protest-related violence.
You can read the full statement from the DOJ here.
Copyright 2020 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. Photo: AP
