Former firefighter Robert Sanford accused of assaulting police



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A general view of the Lehigh County Jail, where retired firefighter Robert Sanford was scheduled to appear in connection with the U.S. Capitol Riots, before a federal judge, in Allentown, Pa. On January 14, 2021.

Mark Makela | Reuters

A retired Pennsylvania firefighter was arrested and charged Thursday with crimes related to the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill, where he allegedly threw a fire extinguisher that allegedly hit three Capitol police officers in the head.

Robert Sanford, 55, was identified by a friend as the man in a widely seen video throwing the fire extinguisher into a group of police surrounded by a savage mob of President Donald Trump supporters outside the Capitol, authorities said .

Cops shot in the head did not understand Constable Brian Sicknick, the cop who died after a day after being beaten by rioters.

The friend told the FBI on Tuesday that Sanford, who recently retired from the Chester Fire Department, informed him he was wanted as an assailant on the video, according to a document released by the office. from the US attorney in Washington.

Sanford also told his friend that he traveled to Washington, DC, with a group of people on a bus to attend a rally on January 6 on the Ellipse, where President Donald Trump spoke and urged his supporters to help him in his efforts to back down. Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, the document says.

The group, including Sanford, “then followed the president’s instructions and made their way to Capitol Hill,” the document said.

At the time, Congress was holding a joint session to confirm Biden’s election as president.

Sanford, who lives in Boothwyn, Pa., Is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any building or restricted land without legal authority, disorderly or disruptive conduct on capital grounds, civil unrest, and assault, resistance or obstruction of certain officers while engaged in the performance of official duties.

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