Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

Steven Cook, 24, of Bethesda, Maryland: DOJ/NAJ screen shot

Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A young Trump supporter from Bethesda, Maryland with Asperger’s syndrome, a neuro-developmental disorder, has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Steven Patrick Cook, 24, of Bethesda, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, both felonies. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden will sentence Cook on July 19, 2024, and is said to be taking into account the defendant’s condition in sentencing.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Cook, along with other rioters, broke through the police line on the west side of the U.S. Capitol building, within the restricted area, at approximately 2:28 p.m. Cook then proceeded to assault at least one U.S. Capitol Police officer and a Metropolitan Police Department officer.

Court records say that Cook pushed between and against police officers to further break the line and repeatedly grabbed at police officers’ batons and swung his closed fist at their heads. Police later retreated toward the U.S. Capitol building and began protecting the Lower West Terrace Tunnel entrance.

“The tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th,” according to the announcement which came out Friday from the Department of Justice.

Rioters at the tunnel battled police officers for hours as they attempted to storm the Capitol building.

At 3:02 p.m., Cook took a gas mask from a nearby rioter, put the gas mask on his head, and pushed his way to the front of the mob of rioters inside the tunnel. Court documents say that Cook then bull-rushed his way, head-first, toward the police in an attempt to break the police line. During his attack of the officers, Cook made physical contact with at least one MPD officer and grabbed the baton of another.

At 3:05 p.m., Cook left the tunnel only to return a short while later where he and other rioters pushed against a line of police officers. At 4:08 p.m., Cook left the area.

The FBI arrested Cook on Sept. 16, 2023, in Maryland.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland provided valuable assistance. The FBI’s Baltimore and Washington Field Offices investigated this case. The U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance.

In the 38 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,358 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 486 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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