Capitol riot defendant ordered to stand trial in assaults at Santa Ana College – Orange County Register

A 53-year-old man already facing charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was ordered Friday, March 29, to stand trial on charges of assaulting two people during a “Stop the Steal” rally and a counter -demonstration in front of Santa Ana College three years ago. There is.

Kim Michael Sorgente was scheduled to stand trial following a preliminary hearing before Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert Knox.

Sorgente, who is representing himself, argued he was acting in self-defense when he allegedly slammed a megaphone on a man’s head during the Dec. 6, 2020, protest. Sorgente, who says he lives in his car, listed Dublin, California as his mailing address.

Sorgente attempted to subpoena the alleged victim in the case, Trinidad Molina, to testify at the preliminary hearing. On March 22, Knox was skeptical of the validity of Sorgente’s claims that Molina had “come at me aggressively brandishing brass knuckles and a knife.” Sorgente is accused of hitting Molina in the head with a bullhorn.

Knox said assuming Sorgente was accurate in his description: “How would that be relevant to self-defense? …I don’t see anyone with a gun coming after you until you hit someone in the head with a megaphone. …What happened in the street is irrelevant.

Sorgente argued that he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and that the alleged threat had triggered him, but Knox emphasized to the defendant that a preliminary hearing was not a trial, but a hearing on probable cause.

Sorgente painstakingly went through frame by frame the video of the alleged attack with Santa Ana police Cpl. David Angel during his testimony during two afternoons of hearing.

Knox noted that Sorgente “left a safe place and got in their way,” referring to the counterprotesters.

“In a trial, people have to investigate beyond a reasonable doubt,” Knox told Sorgente. “But we don’t do testing. We proceed with a probable cause hearing (which has a lower standard of proof).

Sorgente asked Angel if he saw Molina brandish a deadly weapon during the conflict with Sorgente, and Angel responded that it was “inconclusive.”

Angel testified that the alleged victims in this case were “withdrawing or taking defensive positions.”

Angel added: “They were under attack and retreating. I’ve never seen them do anything aggressive other than retreat.

Sorgente is scheduled to be arraigned in the Santa Ana case on April 9.

In February, a second indictment was filed in the District of Columbia federal court against Sorgente, charging him with civil disorder, entertaining and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or land and obstructing a public official. proceeding in connection with the Capitol riot.

Sorgente, wearing a Make America Great Again baseball cap, was seen in photos of the Jan. 6 riots with a megaphone, the FBI reported.

According to the FBI, he can be seen shortly after 1:30 p.m. on January 6 with “numerous rioters” on a police line on the west side of the Capitol.

The FBI alleged that at one point, during an altercation with police, he used his megaphone to yell at officers, “How dare you?” How dare you, traitors? How dare you be traitors?

He was seen again in other police body-worn footage just after 2 p.m., near the base of the inauguration scaffolding, ignoring orders to leave the area, according to the FBI.

The FBI alleged that as agents attempted to clear the area, Sorgente shouted at them through his megaphone: “What are you doing? What are you doing? What does it feel like to be a traitor? What does it feel like to be a traitor? What do you think you’re doing?

By about 2:40 p.m., he had moved to the west side of the Capitol building, where he entered a tunnel as officers tried to keep the crowd at bay, according to the FBI.

He allegedly left, then turned around and re-entered the tunnel at 2:54 p.m., where he joined efforts to pressure the officers, the FBI said.

Sorgente pleaded not guilty in the federal case on March 5; his next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 16.