Washington – The FBI is asking for the public’s help in locating a member of the Proud Boys and a one-time suspect in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Washington, DC, according to court filings and public reports.
Christopher Worrell was convicted at a bench trial in May of seven charges, including obstructing official proceedings and assaulting officers. As a large group secured the north side of the Capitol against rioters, prosecutors accused law enforcement officers of spraying gel with pepper spray during the attack.
Government Exhibition
“Mr. Worrell sprayed his Saber Red maximum strength pepper gel into a line of law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol. Of course, no one doubts that he sprayed that pepper gel,” Judge Royce Lamberth wrote. He explained his decision to convict Worrell in May.
On Friday, Lamberth issued a bench warrant for Worrell’s arrest after he failed to appear for his sentencing hearing, court records indicated, and the FBI issued an alert asking for help locating Worrell and taking him into custody.
Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Worrell to 14 years in prison. His defense attorney countered in court filings that he urged Lambert to impose the least severe sentence, which would be 30 months of house arrest. Worrell’s attorney argued that he has a medical condition that requires close monitoring.
“Mr. Worrell’s actions were 2-3 seconds in which he pressed the trigger mechanism on the pepper spray container. But for that single act, Mr. Worrell would not have faced any charges because he did not go inside the Capitol,” his attorney argued.
Worrell’s sentencing hearing has been suspended pending his remand.
In 2021, Lambert’s case came under increased scrutiny after Worrell said he did not receive proper care for an injury while in custody after the Washington, D.C., warden was jailed. His lawyers said he was also being treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was not receiving adequate treatment for that disease.
The officials were held in contempt for not providing the medical documents requested by the judge.
Lamberth placed Worrell under house arrest to ensure proper medical care.
The U.S. attorney’s office in the nation’s capital told CBS News it is seeking any information regarding Worrell’s whereabouts. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
