A former Chicago police officer is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to authorities.
And while court records show that a plea deal is on the table for the former officer, he has so far rejected it.
Officer Karol Chwiesiuk, 29, faces a slew of charges including entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to a criminal complaint against him.
The complaint, which included photos of Chwiesiuk inside the Capitol building, states the officer is accused of breaking into a Democratic senator's office with a mob of others and texting a friend in the days leading up to the riot that he was "busy planning how to [expletive] up commies."
Chwiesiuk, a 2.5-year member of CPD's force, was relieved of his police powers on June 2, 2021, according to Supt. David Brown.
"The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil, makes me sick to my stomach," Brown said at the time.
Brown noted that the department has "zero tolerance for hate and extremism of any kind" and is working "to find if there is any evidence of people with similar beliefs and move them out of this department."
"If you harbor ignorance in your heart, you should take off your star now and find another line of work. Or I'll do it for you," he said.
According to court documents, a judge at Tuesday's status hearing will again present a plea deal to Chwiesiuk, which would help him to avoid trial. Chwiesiuk, however, can still choose not to take the offer, and instead take his chances in court.
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Chwiesiuk is one of at least 19 Illinois residents to face federal charges in connection to the Jan. 6 breach.
More than 450 people across the United States have been arrested on charges that they took part in the assault of the U.S. Capitol by the violent mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
