Man Charged for Assault on Metropolitan Police Officer Who Was in Proximity to Confrontation of Senator Rand Paul

            WASHINGTON – Brennen Sermon, 27, of Orlando, Florida, was charged by information on Friday, August 28, 2020, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael R. Sherwin.  Sermon was in the vicinity of U.S. Senator Rand Paul when he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department for assault on a Metropolitan Police Department Officer. 

            Sermon was charged by information in D.C. Superior Court with one count of assault on a law enforcement officer in violation of D.C. Code § 22-405(b). He was arraigned on that charge and was released on his personal recognizance.

            A Gerstein affidavit, based on an initial report from a responding officer, was filed along with the information. It states that at about 12:30 am on August 28, 2020, a Metropolitan Police Department officer was holding a police line at 14^th and F Street NW when the defendant kicked his bicycle and fled. The officer pursued, and the defendant punched the officer in the left side of his face. The affidavit further reports that the officer sustained a laceration and severe swelling above his left eye, was transported to the hospital, and received stitches. A supplemental Gerstein affidavit filed after the initial report was prepared which clarified that a preliminary review of body worn camera showed that the individual kicking the bicycle and the individual throwing the punch appear to be wearing different color shirts. Therefore, the defendant is presently charged only with respect to the punching allegation.

            Both the information and the Gerstein affidavits are formal accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.  If convicted, Sermon faces a maximum sentence of 180 days in prison for each count, a fine of up to $1,000.

            In announcing the charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin, commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department in responding to these events.