A Florida man, who was identified by a media outlet as a rioter seen on video attacking U.S. Capitol Police officers with a fire extinguisher, was arrested on Wednesday.
Robert Scott Palmer appeared in federal court in Tampa on charges of assaulting police, civil disorder, and being present on restricted grounds, according to federal court documents reported by the Tampa Bay Times, which did not cite specific allegations.
But the Huffington Post identified the 53-year-old by name on March 5, pinning him as the man who was recorded spraying a fire extinguisher and then tossing it at law enforcement while wearing an American flag jacket and “FLORIDA FOR TRUMP” hat seen at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Palmer later confirmed to the outlet that he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and participated in a livestreamed interview, during which he showcased a stomach wound from a nonlethal munition and said his name after the riot while wearing the same outfit.
MAN ACCUSED OF THROWING FIRE EXTINGUISHER AT CAPITOL POLICE ARRESTED
“I’m just going about it and letting them make the mistakes that they want and ruin the country as they want, and I’m just trying to live my life right now,” he said.
Are we tracking this guy in the flag hoodie throwing a fire extinguisher at the police? Also #ginabisignano and #swedishscarf in the end. #seditionhunters #CapitolFireExtinguisher @capitolhunters @johnkriby1 Clip taken from 5.01 in YT video by Norman Koch https://t.co/W0o0SrAL1i pic.twitter.com/oQk3cLtyko
— Captain Columbo (@ColumboCaptain) February 19, 2021
“I’m just going to just leave it like that. I’m not getting myself any — not deeper, ’cause I didn’t do anything wrong — but I’m not involving myself anymore,” he concluded before hanging up the phone.
The FBI released a photo of the man wearing the same attire, along with the photos of hundreds of others, urging the public to come forward and identify him.
“He’s remorseful for his actions,” Palmer’s attorney, Bjorn Brunvand, told the Tampa Bay Times. “We hope to resolve them without extensive litigation. I don’t think it necessarily reflects who he is, despite the fact that he did some things that weren’t very smart and that he regrets.”
Palmer was released on a $25,000 signature bond and was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, the report said.
More than 300 people have been arrested in connection to the Capitol riot. On Monday, two men, Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios, were arrested in connection to assaulting Officer Brian Sicknick, who has since died, with an unknown chemical spray.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Early reports said officials believed that Sicknick was killed after being struck by a fire extinguisher, although speculation has begun to swirl after authorities have refused to release his official cause of death. Sicknick received the rare tribute of lying in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda before his cremated remains were sent to Arlington National Cemetery to be laid to rest.
Four others died during the siege of Congress as lawmakers worked to affirm President Biden’s 2020 election victory. Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran and Trump supporter, was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer while she attempted to climb through a window into the Speaker’s Lobby. Three others died from “medical emergencies,” according to officials. Two other Capitol Police officers who responded to the riot later died by suicide, local police said.
