Oct. 26—A Frederick man is facing criminal charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Federal prosecutors allege that Steven Cook, 24, breached the Capitol building and assaulted law enforcement officers in the process, as part of a group that disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Various individuals identified Cook from body-camera footage and videos at the Capitol. There were also screen recordings from Cook's social media accounts, in which he posted videos of himself at the Capitol on that day, according to court records.
Cook is charged with two felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and one felony count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.
He is also charged with four misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and act of physical violence on Capitol grounds or buildings.
Cook was released on his own recognizance after his arrest in September, with a court-ordered curfew in place.
Cook graduated from Tuscarora High School in 2017, according to his social media pages.
Cook's attorney, Alexis Gardner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Reached by phone on Thursday, Cook said he had no comment on his case.
The Department of Justice had no comment on the case, spokesperson Daniel Ball said on Thursday.
Cook is scheduled to be in court on Dec. 15 for a status hearing.
On Monday, Cook asked the court to modify his curfew so he could continue working at his new job, court records show. The court granted that motion.
According to a federal complaint and a news release from the Department of Justice, Cook was with a group of rioters on the West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol. At 2:28 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, three people linked arms and marched toward police, breaking their line.
Video shows a man identified as Cook following right after the linked individuals, pushing and hitting law enforcement, the complaint said.
Body-camera footage also showed Cook grabbing the baton of one officer and punching another.
The complaint provided screenshots from body cameras and other surveillance videos.
Police retreated into the Lower West Terrace Tunnel while Cook and others continued their assault, according to the complaint, which gives a timeline for the day. Cook followed, entering the tunnel around 2:43 p.m.
Cook continued to push himself into the tunnel, then left at around 2:52 p.m. He came back to the mouth of the tunnel at 3:02 p.m.