All articles tagged with #sovereign citizen
After a months-long manhunt, Victoria Police fatally shot Dezi Freeman, a self-proclaimed sovereign citizen who killed two officers and fled into rural Victoria. Hundreds of officers and aircraft hunted Freeman until a three-hour standoff at a north-eastern Victoria property ended with his death; authorities say the shooting was justified while an investigation proceeds and the families of the slain officers were notified.
Taylor James Johnatakis, a "sovereign citizen," was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for leading an assault on officers during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Representing himself at trial, he showed a lack of remorse and continued to advance sovereign citizen arguments. Federal prosecutors sought nine years, highlighting his role in organizing the rioters and coordinating a violent assault on police officers. More than 1,350 people have been charged in connection with the attack, with over 950 defendants convicted and around 500 sentenced to incarceration.