Former Boston police officer convicted in January 6 Capitol riots

WASHINGTON – A former Boston police sniffer dog who helped respond to the Boston Marathon bombing was sentenced Friday to 20 months in prison for attacking a Capitol Police officer with a chair during the Jan. 6 riot.

Joseph Fisher of Plymouth, Massachusetts, was convicted after a trial in which he called his actions that day “an abomination.”

Fisher, 52, said he wanted to offer a sincere apology to the police officer he attacked, as well as to the people of Washington, D.C. and the entire country. His behavior was “outrageous” and he should have known better.

“Would you do that in your city?” Fisher said he would ask the people he arrested who were not from the Boston area. He added that his behavior on Jan. 6 was disrespectful to the city of Washington, that he was deeply embarrassed by what he did and that he had tarnished his family’s reputation.

Federal prosecutors had called for a 46-month prison sentence for Fisher, arguing that he was present during the initial phase of the storming of the Capitol and helped a January 6 rioter escape.

“After entering the Capitol, Fisher went to the orientation lobby of the Capitol Visitor Center. At this time, another rioter sprayed a Capitol Police officer with a chemical irritant. The officer pursued the rioter down a hallway in an attempt to arrest him,” federal prosecutors wrote.

“Fisher grabbed a chair, watched and waited as the rioter and officer approached his position, and rammed the chair into the officer. Fisher then grabbed the officer and shoved him while another rioter shoved the officer from behind. The struggle ended with Fisher on the ground and the other rioter successfully escaping,” they added.

Fisher was arrested in March 2023 and pleaded guilty to all charges in February.

Fisher said Friday that after his release, he plans to continue receiving psychological counseling and spend time with his family.

Fisher was identified by online “riot hunters” who helped arrest hundreds of rioters at the Capitol. Facial recognition revealed many images of Fisher, including a screenshot from a video taken at a press conference following the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the brothers who set off two pressure cooker bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Fisher’s sentencing came as a judge in the same federal court sentenced a New Jersey man to 12 years in prison for attacking police officers while wearing a sweatshirt that read “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” Earlier that same day, a Florida man, whom online sleuths dubbed “Sedition Panda” for the panda costume he wore during the storming of the Capitol, was found guilty on all counts, including assaulting a police officer.