Three west suburban men face felony charges after allegedly conspiring to impersonate police officers at protests over the weekend, DuPage County officials said.
Jonathan Capp, 22, of Wheaton; Andrew Knight, 24, of Darien; and Cole Sarros, 26, of Woodridge, were each charged with one felony count of conspiracy to commit false personation of a peace officer and one misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of ammunition without a firearm owners identification (FOID) card Monday after initial appearances in court, the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office announced in a news release.
Capp, Knight and Sarros were granted pretrial release but were ordered to surrender all firearms, ammunition or other dangerous weapons to the Elmhurst Police Department, per the state’s attorney’s office.
The men are accused of conspiring with each other Saturday — when “No Kings” demonstrations drew thousands to protest across the Chicago area — to “dress like peace officers” by each wearing a tactical vest “while traveling to numerous political protests,” according to the release from the state’s attorney.
Capp, Knight and Sarros also each allegedly “knowingly possessed firearm ammunition” without a FOID card, the release said. Further, authorities allegedly found fake flash bangs and lighter fluid in their vehicle, and Capp allegedly wore a “camo face mask while in possession of an airsoft rifle and handgun without an orange tip that appeared to be legitimate firearms,” the release said.
“Impersonating a peace officer is a serious crime that not only erodes public trust, but also has the potential to put legitimate officers at risk, particularly at a political protest,” DuPage State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said in a statement.
Capp, Knight and Sarros are due back in court Nov. 17.
