California man accused of spraying bears at police pleaded not guilty to the January 6 riots Reuters

Mark Hosenbauer

WASHINGTON (Reuters)-A California man accused of attacking a policeman guarding the U.S. Capitol with bear spray and a large metal sign during the riots on January 6 pleaded not guilty to federal charges including felony related to the riots on Wednesday.

In a video hearing by the U.S. District Judge John Bates, the defendant Sean McHugh’s lawyer Maria Jacob told the court that her client was He pleaded not guilty to all charges, including using dangerous weapons to attack the police and participating in violence in the Capitol or the building.

McHugh, 34, listed his address in Auburn, California when he booked his flight to Washington on January 5 and is currently in pretrial detention.

More than 535 people have faced charges for participating in the riots. The then President Donald Trump lied about his loss of the 2020 presidential election due to widespread election fraud. The riots interrupted Congress’s official certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump.

Federal prosecutor Jacob Strain told the court that the government is willing to enter into plea negotiations in McHugh’s case. Judge Bates scheduled a further hearing on September 30.

In an affidavit stating the reasons for McHugh’s arrest, FBI agents said that the video taken during the riots showed that McHugh “attacked” congressional police, pushed them a large metal sign, and sprayed the affidavit on them. “Unknown chemical substance” as described in. .”

The July 7 indictment clearly accused McHugh of attacking the police with bear spray.

The FBI stated that McHugh is currently on probation after being convicted of driving under the influence in 2018. A senior court official in Placer County, California confirmed to Reuters that McHugh admitted to having illegal sex with minors in 2010.