Robert Sanford, 55, was arrested in Pennsylvania on Thursday morning, the Department of Justice said. In court documents, it is said that Sanford was seen on a video with a ‘red object, which is apparently a fire extinguisher’, while stepping over a short wall at the lower west terrace of the Capitol. He allegedly threw the fire extinguisher at police officers, and hit one who was wearing a helmet before hitting and hitting it twice again.
Officer William Young said according to court documents that he felt a hard strike on the back of his helmet and saw a fire extinguisher on the ground but did not see who hit him. Young was evaluated in hospital and cleared to return to service.
According to reports, Sanford was identified at the FBI’s branch in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and charged in the U.S. District Court on Wednesday.
He faces four charges: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or site without lawful authority; disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds; civil disorder; and the assault, resistance or obstruction of certain officers during the performance of official duties, the documents state.
It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
So far, more than thirty people have been arrested on federal charges, and some of the accused are accused of bringing weapons to Capitol Hill, and others have been taken down to loot the building. Many are charged with illegal entry or violent entry.