Court documents: Westport man arrested on felony charges for assaulting police during Jan. 6 Capitol breach

Police say 21-year-old Benjamin Cohen, of Westport, is charged with civil disorder, resisting or impeding officers – which are felony charges - and several misdemeanor offenses.

Abby Del Vecchio

Aug 9, 2023, 8:18 PM

Updated 490 days ago

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A Connecticut man has been arrested on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Police say 21-year-old Benjamin Cohen, of Westport, is charged with civil disorder, resisting or impeding officers – which are felony charges - and several misdemeanor offenses.
Video and body camera footage from the riot shows Cohen breaching the police line and moving toward a group of officers, according to court documents. He then appears to make physical contact with the officers, pushing and shoving them as the crowd surged forward. At some point later, video shows Cohen standing with the crowd of rioters shouting “our house.”
Court documents go on to say Cohen is seen entering the Lower West Terrace Tunnel just before 3 p.m. with other rioters assembling against a police line. Documents allege the mob pushed in a concerted “heave-ho” effort against the police line.
Cohen remained outside of the tunnel until around 4 p.m., assisting the mob trying to push back in, according to court documents. He was allegedly spotted later in an office inside the Capitol building.
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