Two D.C. firefighters were charged Tuesday after being caught on camera throwing punches and kicking a man on the ground in April.
Lt. Sean Sinon and rookie firefighter Reden Ecleo are first responders from Engine 6. They both turned themselves in to D.C. police on Tuesday “in a show of integrity and respect for the system we all serve," according to a statement from the D.C. Firefighters Association, Local 36.
The firefighters are being charged with simple assault by the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to Local 36. The exact charges have yet to be released.
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Firefighters and union members lined up in red union T-shirts to show solidarity when Sinon and Ecleo walked into the First District Station. One of the men wore a plaid shirt and the other wore a dark blue sweatsuit. Both were accompanied by their lawyers.
“I think they were trying to help their lieutenant who had been assaulted,” Firefighters Local 36 President David Hoagland said. “Our members are routinely placed in some of these unsafe situations from day to day, and unfortunately, on the scenes of these emergencies, they can escalate quickly before the police have a chance to arrive to assist us."
Attorney Phil Andonian who represents Sinon said his client was assaulted by the victim. He does not believe the situation should have happened or that it should be prosecuted right now.
“The firefighters are not trained in hand-to-hand combat,” Andonian said. “They're not trained in how to deal with potentially violent encounters in the way that police officers are."
According to a police report, the fight broke out as the first responders were assessing patients after a car crash near Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street.
A man allegedly punched the fire lieutenant in charge and the fight grew from there. Police arrested the man accused of throwing the first punch but charges against him were dropped.
When video of the brawl surfaced in April, six firefighters were placed on leave.
In a previous statement, DC Fire and EMS said the firefighters' actions were "completely unacceptable and do not reflect the behavior we require of our members.”
This is not first assault incident D.C. firefighters have encountered in the past few years.
“We had a window shattered out on a fire engine when they showed up to help on the scene,” Hoagland said. “We had another member who was viciously assaulted, she spent the night in the hospital. That was during the pandemic when she responded to an emergency."
This is a developing story. Stay with News4 for more updates.
