Prosecutors say Christopher Worrell of Florida came to the Capitol with pepper spray on Jan. 6 and later used it against a series of police officers guarding the complex. He was photographed near the Capitol wearing a tactical vest and a radio earpiece, outside the building with other members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist organization.
He is charged with five federal crimes: entering restricted grounds, knowingly entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct on restricted grounds, violent access to the Capitol site, and obstruction of congressional proceedings. He has not yet filed a plea.
Worrell appeared in federal court Friday and was released by a federal judge in the Central District of Florida. The Department of Justice immediately appealed the decision and the Chief Justice of the Federal Court in Washington, DC, suspended his release pending further review.
An attorney listed in the court records for Worrell did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
When an FBI agent later questioned Worrell about the group, Worrell said, “The Proud Boys were not a racist white supremacist group as the media tried to portray them,” according to court documents.
According to CNN’s review of court documents, nearly 20 people affiliated with the Proud Boys have been charged with the riot in Capitol. These include well-known leaders of the organization, people who participated in Proud Boys rallies, and others who wore the badges of Proud Boy.