D.C. firefighters accused of assaulting police officers in 2 separate incidents

WASHINGTON (WJLA) – Two D.C. firefighters—one a rookie, the other a veteran hailed as a hero after nearly losing his life in a fire—are under arrest for two separate incidents. Both are accused of assaulting a police officer, among other charges.

On Tuesday evening D.C. police say a dark sedan was speeding down Anacostia Road. Its back passenger door was open and someone was trying to jump out. The car sped through a stop sign—nearly striking two pedestrians—before running a red light. When officers finally stopped the vehicle on Croffut Place SE and tried to arrest the driver, police say he “… head butted and kicked Officer Roccato in the shin and chest.”

Richard Kirkpatrick, a rookie D.C. firefighter, was arrested.

In a separate incident Saturday night, Anne Arundel County Police responded to a call for a fight at the Irish Channel pub in Gambrills, Md. over a bar tab. Police arrested Charles “Chuck” Ryan, a veteran D.C. firefighter who was severely burned battling a house fire in 2011.

Police say Ryan was “… assaulting the officer by kicking his legs … Ryan verbally threatened the officer and made racially disparaging remarks …”

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