Two DC firefighters will be charged Tuesday after they were caught on camera throwing punches and kicking a man on the ground in April.
Lt. Sean Sinon and rookie firefighter Reden Ecleo are Engine 6 first responders. Both turned themselves in to DC police Tuesday “in a show of integrity and respect for the system we all serve,” according to a statement from DC Fire Department.
The officials are being charged with simple assault, according to the Local 36 union. The exact charges have not yet been released.
The firefighters and union members lined up in red T-shirts to show solidarity as Sinon and Ecleo entered the police station. One of the men was wearing a plaid shirt and was accompanied by his lawyer. The other was wearing a dark blue tracksuit.
“I think they were trying to help their lieutenant who had been assaulted,” Fire Local 36 President David Hoagland said. “Our members routinely find themselves in some of these unsafe situations on a day-to-day basis, and unfortunately, at the scenes of these emergencies, they can quickly escalate before the police have a chance to arrive to help us.”
When video of the fight surfaced in April, six DC Fire and EMS workers were placed on administrative leave. Look here the images.
According to a police report, the fight broke out as first responders were evaluating patients after a car crash near Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street.
A man allegedly punched the fire lieutenant in charge and the fight escalated from there. Police arrested the man accused of throwing the first punch, but the charges against him were dropped.
