NOT HIS BROTHER’S KEEPER

National Guardsman and Mobility Scooter-Riding Brother Charged in Jan. 6 Riot

The retired guardsman’s brother, also charged, allegedly used a cane to break into the Capitol after riding up to the building on a mobility scooter.

A veteran of the Illinois National Guard and his sibling have been accused of breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and assaulting police officers inside the building, according to court documents. Both Joseph Bierbrodt, a 54-year-old retired guardsman, and his 55-year-old brother William were captured in surveillance images approaching a Capitol’s Senate fire door during the riots. William, who was using a knee scooter because of a foot injury, can be seen breaking the door’s window with a cane and unlatching the door from the inside, according to court documents. The two entered the building, with Joseph grabbing a security officer and slamming him into a wall, the complaint states. The brothers then confronted a line of riot police, who pepper-sprayed them, forcing them to retreat, according to the documents. Joseph has been hit with eight federal charges, while William faces seven federal counts.