Jan. 6 riot caused at least $1.5 million worth of damage to the Capitol, prosecutors say
03 June 2021
The Jan. 6 insurrection caused at least $1.5 million worth of damage to the Capitol, Prosecutor Mona Sedky said during a court proceeding Wednesday, according the Washington Post.
Why it matters: More than 450 people have been charged so far over their alleged participation in the deadly Capitol riot. Prosecutors want some to contribute restitution payments for the damages as part of plea deals, the Post reported.
- The $1.5 million estimate is the first time prosecutors have publicly put a figure on the cost of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which left five people dead.
The big picture: Prosecutors involved in the case are "seeking to require restitution of $2,000 in each felony case and $500 in each misdemeanor case," reports the Post.
- According to federal law, restitution can be negotiated "pursuant to a plea agreement," and it is possible to divvy up liability among the defendants. However the exact terms under which such an agreement could be reached have not been yet been determined, the Post noted.
The state of play: Paul Allard Hodgkins on Wednesday became the second person to plead guilty to charges stemming from the insurrection.
- Hodgkins' attorney asked the judge to waive a "$7,500 to $75,000 fine because his client also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution for his share of riot damage to the Capitol," according to the Post.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.