On Friday, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth sided with prosecutors, ruling that Fairlamb should remain jailed without bail. According to a screenshot and link to the official explanation, posted to Twitter by Congressional reporter Kyle Cheney, Fairlamb’s reported criminal history, combined with his apparent lack of remorse for participating in the riot, influenced Lamberth’s decision.
“In other words, the defendant’s history of punching people in the face suggests he may punch people in the face again,” said Lamberth.
Fairlamb was identified from video footage of the insurrection, which included clips of him allegedly punching an officer in the head. He also reportedly posted a video to his Facebook page, in which he is seen carrying a collapsible baton and saying, “What Patriots do? We fing disarm them and then we storm the fing Capitol.” He has since deleted the video.
According to NJ.com, Fairlamb was potentially one of the first insurrectionists to break into the Capitol’s western front. There, he harassed officers “by shouting in their faces and blocking their movement.”
“Are you an American? Act like a fing one!” Fairlamb reportedly said to officers. “You guys have no idea what the f you’re doing!”
Footage of the scene reportedly shows Fairlamb sticking his fingers into an officer’s face. When the officer bats his hand away, Fairlamb is said to respond by punching him in the head.
Last month, Fairlamb was indicted on twelve charges resulting from his participation in the riot, including assaulting a federal officer, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, carrying a dangerous weapon, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
However, his attorney, Harley Breite, said the charges are exaggerated. “If my client were truly the predatory wrecking machine as he is portrayed by the Government, he would have intended and actually caused something far greater than what is routinely referred to as a misdemeanor simple assault,” Breite said, according to NJ.com.
Meanwhile, prosecutors argue that Fairlamb demonstrated “an absolute disregard for the rule of law coupled with a willingness to engage in violence.”
