After beating police officers with batons, leaving one bleeding from the head and concussed, Sabol attempted to flee to Switzerland, thinking he could not be extradited. Police were waiting for him at the airport.
In his ruling, Judge Sullivan wrote Sabol had "...an aversion to the fundamental tenants of our democracy, and a willingness to act violently when he believes he is 'fighting tyranny.'"
Source: CNN
A geophysicist who allegedly beat police officers who were trying to help injured rioters during the US Capitol siege will be jailed before trial, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, citing the man's ham-handed attempt to flee to Switzerland as proof that he poses a literal flight risk.
Judge Emmet Sullivan said Jeffrey Sabol was too dangerous to release due to the flight risk and because he might continue his fight against "perceived tyranny" once he is out of jail.
"He stripped a vulnerable police officer of his police baton," Sullivan wrote in a 64-page ruling. "He then used that stolen police baton to force another officer away from his post and into a mob of rioters who proceeded to viciously attack him, leaving him bleeding from the head."
Sabol was indicted alongside four others who allegedly assaulted the officers, including one who was beaten while being dragged face-down into the crowd. He hasn't yet entered a plea.
Sabol took drastic steps after the January 6 insurrection because he "reached a mental breaking point," according to court filings. He traveled from his native Colorado to Boston and booked a flight to Switzerland, where he believed he would be protected from extradition, according to court filings. But he abandoned that plan after seeing law enforcement officers at the airport.
UPDATE: And perhaps most ominously for Trump, this judge seems to think that he bears responsibility for the January 6th insurrection and has not yet been accountable for it.
Here's how Emmet Sullivan dealt with Trump's role in the insurrection in an order ruling Jeffrey Sabol should be held until trial. https://t.co/FqNn6V3fMo pic.twitter.com/PCZdq1TrRN
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) April 14, 2021
After storming the Capitol and assaulting 2 police officers, he:
-fried his cellphone in the microwave
-stashed his guns at a friend's house
-planned an escape to Switzerland to avoid extradition.
He never got there.
He's in jail now.https://t.co/DJFGeNgKpJ @jackiepeiser— David Beard (@dabeard) April 15, 2021
Jeffrey Sabol allegedly beat cops during the Capitol siege. After 1/6, he traveled from CO to Boston & booked a flight to Switzerland. He freaked out at the airport, rented a car, drove south, and tried to kill himself. He survived, was arrested and jailed https://t.co/oPhc1k1tZ6
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) April 14, 2021
A judge ordered Jeffrey Sabol, charged w/ assaulting and interfering with MPD officers on Jan. 6, to stay in jail: "...an aversion to the fundamental tenants of our democracy, and a willingness to act violently when he believes he is 'fighting tyranny'" https://t.co/ZwI6I8NHMO pic.twitter.com/Z8OzLqpnKN
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) April 14, 2021
