Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
WASHINGTON – A Texas man was found guilty today of felony and misdemeanor offenses, including assaulting law enforcement with a weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Luke Russell Coffee, 44, of Dallas, was found guilty of six felony offenses, including civil disorder; two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a weapon; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds using a weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds using a weapon.
In addition to the felonies, Coffee was convicted of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, a misdemeanor. Sentencing was set for April 24, 2025.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Coffee arrived at the Capitol building shortly after 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, and proceeded up the steps to the Lower Terrace entrance, which is covered by an archway leading into the Capitol building. As documented in a video, Coffee made several statements to the crowd, then turned toward the direction of U.S. Capitol police officers and Metropolitan Police who were attempting to prevent rioters from entering the Capitol.
About34:28 p.m., Coffee retrieved a crutch from the area at the top of the stairs to the Lower Terrace. He turned and approached the line of officers with the crutch held over his head. Then he lowered the crutch to waist-high and proceeded to push the crutch into the line of police.
A body-worn camera by an MPD officer captured images of Coffee as he made physical contact with another officer. After being forced back by police, Coffee aggressively charged at an officer with the crutch, using it as a blunt weapon while pointing it at the officer’s chest and head.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Coffee as #108 on its AFO, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 47 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 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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