CT man pleads guilty to felony charge in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Sentencing date set.

A 22-year old Westport man pleaded guilty in Washington Monday to a felony assault charge for joining a mob of rioters who pushed and shoved law enforcement officers during the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.Benjamin Cohen, was accused of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes scheduled sentencing on Nov. 8.As is the case with others charged with the post election riot, Cohen was identified through the thousands of video records uploaded to the internet. According to court filings, he joined a crowd of rioters at the West Plaza of the Capital who broke through barriers and engaged in scuffles with law enforcement.A minute after entering the building, federal prosecutors said Cohen “made physical contact with the group of police officers — pushing and shoving them with his hands. Moments later, Cohen moved toward police officers again and resumed shoving and striking them with his hands.”Cohen and the group he was with moved to an area of the Capitol know as the Tunnel, which prosecutors described as “the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th.”“As rioters ahead of him were attacking police officers, Cohen moved into the Tunnel and, at approximately 2:51 p.m., pushed against a rioter in front of him, joining in a coordinated and collective “heave-ho” effort, pushed against the police line,” the prosecutors said.Cohen is accused of watching briefly as rioters shined strobe lights at officers and threw things at them in an effort to disrupt the police line. At one point, the prosecutors said Cohen watched another rioter douse police officers with a chemical spray.After additional shoving matches with police, prosecutors said Cohen could be seen rinsing chemical spray from his eyes with a bottle of water. Prosecutors said he was in or around the Capitol for about 90 minutes interfering with law enforcement operations.He was arrested by the FBI on Aug. 9 in Connecticut.In the 41 months since the Capitol riot, federal authorities have arrested more than 1,450 people.

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