A Connecticut man, Benjamin Cohen, 22, from Westport, entered a guilty plea on July 8 for his involvement in the violent assault on law enforcement during the January 6 Capitol riot, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia. Cohen's sentencing is slated for November 8 by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, after pleading guilty to a charge which carries significant implications for the ongoing investigations surrounding the Capitol breach.
Per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Cohen was amidst the crowd of rioters confronting police lines and was seen physically engaging officers on the grounds of the Capitol, the scene that day shifted rapidly from protest to insurrection and Cohen seems to have propelled himself from the mob's backdrop into the thick of the affray. At approximately 2:29 p.m., he breached the police line and proceeded to shove and strike officers multiple times during the subsequent half-hour, a detailed timeline of his actions reflecting the chaos that enveloped the nation's legislative sanctum.
Among the melee, Cohen joined in what has been described as coordinated "heave-ho" efforts to push against police, this being a particularly violent encounter in a day marked by its brutality; he later retreated, but not from the conflict, only to regain his composure and return to the fray, washing out chemical spray that had wafted into his eyes, Cohen's brief withdrawal did little to quell his commitment to the day's deeds.
After being identified as BOLO (Be On the Look Out) #379, the FBI arrested Cohen on August 9, 2023, in his home state, where subsequent efforts by the New Haven and Washington Field Offices led to his identification among hundreds of rioters that day, Cohen now stands as one among the more than 1,450 individuals who have been charged since the insurrection, over 500 of which have been for assaulting officers, as reported by the Justice Department.
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