3 men accused of planning to impersonate police officers at protests

Three men have been accused of conspiring to impersonate peace officers while planning to attend political protests Saturday.

Jonathan Capp, 22, of the 200 block of West Harrison Avenue, Wheaton; Andrew Knight, 24, of the 7300 block of Bayberry Lane, Darien; and Cole Sarros, 26, of the 8800 block of Dryden Street, Woodridge; are each charged with conspiracy to commit false personation of a peace officer, which is a felony. They are also charged with misdemeanor unlawful possession of ammunition.

They are free on pretrial release, because the charges are non-detainable, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

The charges say that around 3:20 p.m. Saturday, the three agreed to dress like peace officers, with each wearing a tactical/ballistic vest. They had 9 mm- and .223-caliber ammunition on them, without having a Firearm Owner’s Identification card.

Capp also wore a camouflage face mask and had an air-powered rifle and handgun without an orange tip; they appeared to be real firearms, according to the charges.

Police found fake flash-bang explosives and lighter fluid in their vehicle.

Elmhurst police investigated the case and arrested the trio before they arrived at any protest.

On Saturday, there were “No Kings” protests nationwide against the actions of President Donald Trump.

Their next court date is Nov. 17.