Left-wing 'agitator' arrested for US Capitol riot involvement released from jail without bail



John Earle Sullivan, the left-wing activist who was arrested for allegedly being involved in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, was released from jail without bail by a federal judge on Friday.

What happened?

Despite objections from government prosecutors, Sullivan was released from custody.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Daphne Oberg determined that prosecutors had "failed to meet the legal threshold to keep him in custody as he awaits further court proceedings," Fox News reported.

However, the judge placed significant restrictions on Sullivan: he is banned from being on social media, he had to forfeit his passport, he is prohibited from possessing firearms, and he must find new work outside of Insurgence USA, a social justice group that he founded.

Sullivan was also placed on house arrest and must wear a device that monitors his location, Deseret News reported.

Sullivan had claimed to investigators that he was "an activist and journalist" who was at the Capitol to document the protests. He was even interviewed by CNN's Anderson Cooper and MSNBC's Chris Hayes about what he witnessed inside the Capitol.

What's the background?

According to the Justice Department, Sullivan has been charged in federal court with multiple crimes, including:

  • One count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
  • One count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
  • One count of interfering with law enforcement engaged in the lawful performance of their official duties incident to and during the commission of civil disorder

The criminal complaint against Sullivan alleges that he entered the Capitol through a broken out window. The complaint further alleges that Sullivan was wearing "a ballistics vest and gas mask" while inside the Capitol, and that Sullivan has admitted to being inside the Capitol.

The affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint explains what video footage showed Sullivan doing and saying as rioters besieged the Capitol.

After the crowd broke through the last barricade, and as SULLIVAN and the others approach the Capitol Building, SULLIVAN can be heard in the video saying at various points: 'There are so many people. Let's go. This s--- is ours! F--- yeah,' 'We accomplished this s---. We did this together. F--- yeah! We are all a part of this history,' and 'Let's burn this s--- down.

As TheBlaze reported, Sullivan is a known "anti-Trump agitator and a Black Lives Matter supporter." He has reportedly railed against President Donald Trump on social media, and has included the hashtag "#antifa" on multiple social media posts.

John Sullivan in DC in December- post from Instagram. He’s behind in the Tooele County Jail in Utah. His first cour… https://t.co/JUQxNpKgmk
— Heidi Hatch (@Heidi Hatch)1610666890.0

Man shot by police in Utah after he allegedly pointed gun at officer during altercation



A man was shot by officers of the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake in the town of Holladay, Utah, on Thursday, after he allegedly pointed a gun at officers during an altercation that occurred after he was involved in a traffic accident.

What are the details?

At around 3:00 p.m., an officer was filling up the gas tank of their patrol vehicle when a crash occurred on the street next to the service station between a motorcycle and another vehicle.

Sheriff Rosie Rivera told KUTV-TV that the man driving the motorcycle fled, and the officer pursued him on foot. During a physical altercation that witnesses described as "aggressive," the man allegedly "picked up a gun from the ground" and aimed it at the officer. The man was then shot by the officer.

Footage of the moments before the shooting began circulated online shortly after the incident. A KUTV reporter later shared the footage, confirming that the video was captured by a witness.

Video from the officer involved shooting in Holladay from a witness. What you don’t see is the initial crash and th… https://t.co/KoISwWICcg
— Heidi Hatch (@Heidi Hatch)1600386280.0

The clip shows a man being chased, engaging in a scuffle, and picking something up from the ground before raising his arms in what appears to be a shooter's stance toward the other person.

The UPD identified the man as Eric Pectol, 49. He was transported to a hospital and believed to be in serious or critical condition. Officers were not seriously injured in the incident.

Now, separate investigations are ongoing over both the crash and the shooting. There were several witnesses to each incident..

Sheriff Rivera also confirmed to the outlet that the crash is "very near" where UPD Officer Doug Barney was fatally shot in 2016 by a fugitive parolee who was fleeing the scene of a traffic accident.

Anything else?

In another report from KUTV on Thursday, a confidential source disclosed that officers from the Salt Lake City Police Department — which does not cover UPD's county jurisdiction — is facing an exodus of dozens of officers complaining that vandalism from protests following the death of George Floyd have gone unchecked.

During a May 30 protest, the city's police station was vandalized, with nearly every window "within reach broken or covered in graffiti."

"I used to be the biggest proponent for it, come to Salt Lake City, it's the best department," one officer said under condition of anonymity. "I'm [now] telling people to stay away from this profession altogether."

Another officer added, "You could be involved with something that's justified and you could still lose your job. If I'm going to be reprimanded for doing the right thing in a job that's already dangerous — how can I go home and tell my family I'm taking care of them?"