J6 Defendant Starts Brawl At Hearing
Credit: USDOJ
October 31, 2023

A courtroom brawl happened during the hearing for convicted January 6 rioter Vitali GossJankowski. :

A physical altercation broke out during a hearing on Monday in the case of Vitali GossJankowski, a defendant convicted of several charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, resulting in toppled tables and multiple federal agents subduing the defendant on the ground.

Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered GossJankowski jailed for a series of recent doxxing threats targeting federal agents. Moments later, GossJankowski stood and fought with agents who tried to handcuff him and take him into custody.

GossJankowski, who appears to stand at least 6 feet, 3 inches tall and is exceptionally muscular, pushed, tugged and toppled the officers before careening into a nearby podium and tables.

Agents from elsewhere in the courthouse ran into the courtroom to help four U.S. Marshals and FBI staff corral GossJankowski, who has a hearing disability.

CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane, who was present for the hearing, live tweeted it (thread) and then made a video in which he described the scene:

The brawl happened just after the judge had ruled that GossJankowski's posts were very troubling and were not protected under the First Amendment.

A sentencing date for GossJankowski had not been set yet, but whatever time he might have been facing just got a lot longer after this incident.

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