(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A bodycam footage that was obtained by the House Judiciary Committee purportedly confirms that an employee with the D.C. Central Detention Facility (DOC) pepper-sprayed a Jan. 6, 2021, prisoner in the face twice in less than a few minutes for not wearing a COVID-19 mask.
The abuse of power happened on Sept. 5, 2022, American Greatness reported. The incident was one among many allegations of abuse against the political prisoners at the facility.
The news source reported that former DOC employee Lt. Crystal Lancaster sprayed Ronald McAbee with the chemical munitions after he removed his face mask and refused to comply with her tyrannical coronavirus lockdown order.
The footage hasn’t been released, but the Judiciary Committee said in a Monday letter that they were allowed to view it. According to the committee members, the incident was as bad as McAbee alleged.
“The footage, which we viewed on June 12, 2024, showed that on September 5, 2022, an altercation occurred between McAbee and Lancaster that resulted in the discharge of chemical munitions in McAbee’s face. The video shows several inmates, including McAbee, not complying with the facility’s mask mandates or the lockdown order that Lancaster had issued,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a Monday letter.
McAbee filed a federal excessive-force lawsuit last month against Lancaster for the attack, in which he said he removed his face mask to take oral medication.
“Defendant Lancaster knowingly, maliciously and sadistically administered the chemical agent directly to Mr. McAbee’s face from less than four feet away. [After the chemical attack, jail staff] placed him in a shower with only very hot water, which amplified the burning sensation of the chemical spray. Mr. McAbee was not provided an opportunity to decontaminate thoroughly,” the lawsuit said.
The suit then added that McAbee was “placed in solitary confinement for three days, still with no opportunity to decontaminate himself despite multiple requests.” After that, the chemical agent reactivated and caused McAbee intense burning pain.
“[McAbee suffers] continued physical and emotional trauma nearly two years later,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also alleged that “[the government] used Defendant Lancaster’s attack against Mr. McAbee to argue for an increased sentence for Mr. McAbee” because McAbee had “an altercation with jail personnel while awaiting trial.”
In May of this year, the Committee launched an investigation into the assault. In addition to that, Rep. Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, a member of the Committee, has been repeatedly requesting bodycam footage and documents from the DC facility regarding the attack.
A DOC representative also informed Nehls, his staff and committee staff that the agency’s policy requires inmates to receive fresh clothes after being sprayed with chemical munitions.
“However, McAbee has informed Representative Nehls that he was not given fresh clothes after the altercation. Rather he was given the same clothes he was wearing at the time of the altercation. This is a serious allegation, as Oleoresin capsicum (OC) sprays continue to stick to clothing and skin after use,” the congressman wrote.
