Retired firefighter Robert Sanford accused of throwing fire extinguisher at arrested Capitol police

CHESTER, Pa .– A retired Pennsylvania firefighter is accused of being the man seen in the video throwing a fire extinguisher that hit three police officers on Capitol Hill during the riot in Washington, DC last week.

Robert Sanford, 55, of Chester, was arrested Thursday morning on four federal charges, including knowingly entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds, civil unrest and assault in agents in the performance of their official duties.

According to the prosecution documents, the fire extinguisher bounced off the heads of three officers, two of whom were wearing helmets.

Sanford, 55, traveled by bus with others to the Capitol, documents show. He told a friend on his return home that he was in the field for 10 minutes before leaving, but did not mention throwing anything at officers, authorities said.

Sanford was identified after a longtime friend of his contacted the FBI in Pennsylvania and said he recognized Sanford from photos released by the FBI.

The friend said Sanford “went to the White House and listened to President Donald J. Trump’s speech, then followed the president’s instructions and went to Capitol Hill.”

Sanford appeared in Pennsylvania federal court for a first appearance Thursday afternoon. He was denied release and will remain in the custody of the US Marshals until he is transferred to Washington, DC

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The defense argued that Sanford did not pose a flight risk or a danger to the community, noting that he had not been arrested before, was married and had three children.

The defense added that claims that he traveled to Washington to commit crimes are inaccurate and that he is not part of any extremist group.

Prosecutors disputed the claim, saying authorities found a t-shirt associated with far-right group Proud Boys at the Sanford home after executing a search warrant.

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Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland said while Sanford wore a hat with the fire department logo on he is not a current City of Chester employee.

Sanford was a member of the Chester Fire Department from January 1994 to February 2020.

The assault on the video is separate from the ongoing investigation into the death of Capitol Hill Constable Brian Sicknick, who was allegedly hit on the head with a fire extinguisher during the riot.