Ex-Boston police officer who assaulted a Capitol Police officer with a chair on Jan. 6 is sentenced

WASHINGTON — A erstwhile Boston constabulary K-9 serviceman who helped successful nan consequence to nan Boston Marathon bombing was sentenced Friday to 20 months successful situation for attacking a Capitol Police serviceman pinch a chair during nan Jan. 6 riot.

Joseph Fisher of Plymouth, Massachusetts, was sentenced aft a tribunal proceeding successful which he called his actions that time "an abomination."

Fisher, 52, said he wanted to connection a heartfelt apology to nan serviceman he assaulted, to nan group of Washington, D.C., and to nan country, saying his behaviour was "egregious" and that he should've known better.

Joseph Fisher assaulting a Capitol Police serviceman connected Jan. 6, 2021.U.S. District Court for nan District of Columbia

"Would you do this successful your town?" Fisher said he would inquire group he arrested who weren't from nan Boston area, adding that his actions connected Jan. 6 disrespected nan metropolis of Washington, that he was highly embarrassed by what he did and that he stained his family's reputation.

Federal prosecutors had sought 46 months of incarceration for Fisher, arguing that he was coming during nan early stages of nan Capitol breach, and helped assistance a Jan. 6 rioter's escape.

"Upon entering nan Capitol Building, Fisher made his measurement to nan Capitol Visitor Center’s Orientation Lobby. At that time, different rioter sprayed a chemic irritant astatine a Capitol Police officer. The serviceman chased nan rioter done a hallway successful an effort to apprehend him," national prosecutors wrote.

"Fisher grabbed a chair, watched and waited arsenic nan rioter and serviceman approached his position, and rammed nan chair into nan officer. Fisher past grabbed nan serviceman and pushed him arsenic different rioter shoved nan serviceman from behind. The conflict ended pinch Fisher connected nan crushed and nan different rioter successfully escaped," they added.

Fisher was arrested successful March 2023 and he pleaded guilty to each nan counts he faced successful February.

Fisher said Friday that he planned to proceed pinch intelligence wellness counseling aft he was released, on pinch spending clip pinch his family.

Fisher was identified by online "sedition hunters" who person aided successful nan apprehension of hundreds of Capitol rioters. Facial nickname surfaced galore images of Fisher, including a screenshot from a video taken astatine a news convention aft nan seizure of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 1 of nan brothers who detonated 2 unit cooker bombs astatine nan Boston Marathon successful 2013.

Fisher's sentencing proceeding unfolded erstwhile a judge successful nan aforesaid national courthouse was sentencing a New Jersey man to 12 years successful national prison for assaulting officers while wearing a "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" sweatshirt. Earlier successful nan day, a Florida man who online sleuths dubbed "Sedition Panda" because of nan panda costume caput he wore erstwhile he stormed nan Capitol was convicted connected each charges, including assaulting an officer.