A student at Gallaudet University in DC turned himself in to law enforcement after he was spotted in a video attempting to forcefully enter the Capitol among a group of rioters during the insurrection on January 6.
The student, identified as Vitali GossJankowski, was reportedly wielding a Taser which is suspected to be related to a mob attack on an MPD police officer during the Capitol siege.
GossJankowski has been charged with entering a restricted building while carrying a dangerous weapon, according to the US Department of Justice.
An officer said in a statement of facts submitted to a DC judge on Monday that he saw a white male wearing a blue jacket and black sunglasses trying to forcefully and violently gain access to the US Capitol building in a publicly available video taken on January 6.
The man was seen entering a covered area leading to an entrance to the Capitol building, holding a black Taser which was given to him by another person, “activating the Taser multiple times, as evidenced by light flashes emanating from the Taser’s tip; and pushing himself through the crowd of violent individuals towards the police line that was protecting the entrance to the US Capitol building,” according to the officer.
Last week, the FBI and DC police interviewed GossJankowski at the Gallaudet University campus. The student denied walking into the Capitol building, saying that he was at the scene merely “out of curiosity.” Gossjankowski was reportedly wearing the same blue jacket.
In a second interview, GossJankowski was questioned about MPD Officer Mike Fanone who was brutally assaulted by a pro-Trump crowd and tased repeatedly in front of the Capitol on January 6.
Despite admitting that he was holding a stun gun, which he claimed he found on the ground, and recognizing Officer Fanone, GossJankowski said he didn’t use his Taser on him.
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