Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- January 6, 2021
- Location
- Washington, District of Columbia
- Targets
- Erin Schaff (The New York Times)
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
- Equipment Broken
Equipment Damage
Pennsylvania woman charged connection to assault of NYT photojournalist during Capitol riot
A Pennsylvania woman was charged and arrested on June 28, 2021, in connection with the assault of a New York Times photojournalist during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
An affidavit and arrest warrant issued by the FBI identified Sandra "Sandy" Pomeroy Weyer as capturing a video of and encouraging the attack on Times photographer Erin Schaff as she was surrounded and assaulted by a group of rioters. In the video, Weyer is heard yelling, “Get her out, mace her,” as Schaff was pushed backward repeatedly.
According to the FBI, Weyer addressed Schaff's assault in a since-removed Facebook video outside of the Capitol, saying, “[t]he woman who was screaming in the Capitol was, um, anti-Trump, let’s put it that way, that’s why they removed her.”
On Aug. 11, 2021, Weyer was indicted on five counts, including obstruction, entering a restricted building, and disorderly and disruptive conduct.
Find all assaults, detainments and equipment damages against journalists from Jan. 6, 2021, events here, and all persons charged with crimes against the media here.
New York Times reporter Erin Schaff wrote that she was assaulted, one of her cameras stolen and the lens of a second broken by rioters as they stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.
A riot broke out as supporters of President Donald Trump marched on the Capitol, swarmed the building and broke inside in an attempt to disrupt the Congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Reuters reported. At a noon rally held in front of the White House, Trump called on his supporters to protest the vote on the basis of unfounded claims of election fraud. According to Reuters, the building was breached at approximately 2:15 p.m.
Schaff, who did not respond to a request for comment, wrote in an account published by the Times that she followed the noise of protesters on the first floor of the Senate side of the building.
Schaff recounted that the single Capitol Police officer guarding the ceremonial doors to the Rotunda was rushed by the crowd, forcing open the door.
“I ran upstairs to be out of the way of the crowd, and to get a better vantage point to document what was happening. Suddenly, two or three men in black surrounded me and demanded to know who I worked for,” Schaff wrote.
“Grabbing my press pass, they saw that my ID said The New York Times and became really angry. They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched. At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them. They ripped one of my cameras away from me, broke a lens on the other and ran away.”
Schaff’s congressional press credentials were also stolen in the attack.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is documenting multiple assaults, detainments and equipment damages from Jan. 6 events. Find those here.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected]
