Teenager, Arrested in United States Capitol Riots, Assaulted by Fellow Inmate, Lawyer Says

A teenager, considered the youngest suspect arrested in the U.S. Capitol riots, has been beaten by a fellow inmate and tested positive for Covid-19, defense lawyers said Monday.

Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, is asking to be released from the Grady County jail in Oklahoma, where he has largely been held in solitary confinement since his February 5 arrest, defense attorney said William Zapf in court documents demanding the provisional release of his client.

“Mr. Cua was assaulted and then threatened by a fellow inmate over the past weekend,” Zapf wrote. “We understand that the inmate hit Mr. Cua in the face with his open hand, injuring his nose, using the phone, and then threatening him regarding the incident.”

And on Saturday, a Covid-19 test for Cua came back positive, Zapf said, and his lawyers argued he was prepared to safely self-quarantine, possibly in a hotel, if he was released.

But US Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Paschall argued that Cua “poses a significant danger to the community” and that his social media posts “clearly show the radicalized spirit of a young man bent on stopping the normal functioning of democracy. “.

“The nature and gravity of the danger to any person or the community strongly favors detention in this case,” Paschall replied.

The prosecutor did not address the alleged assault on Cua, who is from Milton, Georgia, while in detention. But she cited multiple photos taken of him during the Jan.6 uprising on the U.S. Capitol, all of which appeared to show the suspect without a mask.

Prosecutors have “serious concerns about the accused’s willingness to take precautions against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic,” according to Paschall.

Supporters of then-President Donald Trump descended on Washington and stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, hoping to prevent Congress from formally accepting the victory of current President Joe Biden.

At least five people have died amid the riots, including a police officer injured in clashes with rioters. Two officers who were there that day have since died of suicide.

Cua had posted on his Talking account that he planned to visit the nation’s capital on January 6 because “President Trump is calling us to FIGHT!”, Saying, “This is not a joke, it is where and when we do our booth. # January 6, Washington DC, ”according to a criminal complaint.

Cua faces multiple charges stemming from the January 6 riot, including assaulting a federal agent, disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building.