Dallas Man Accused of Assaulting Officers With Crutch During Capitol Riot
A Dallas native accused of assaulting police officers with a crutch while storming the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 surrendered to Dallas authorities Thursday and is set to appear in court Friday, NBCDFW reports.
Luke Coffee, 41, faces multiple charges in connection with the riot, including assault of a federal law enforcement officer with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, court documents show.
Before the storming of the Capitol, Coffee worked on shows including Everwood, according to his IMDb page. He returned to Dallas in 2010 after stints in Los Angeles and Cape Town, and established a production house under the umbrella of RockHouse Films.
Coffee, who attended Highland Park High School, is at least the 13th person from North Texas known to be charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, the Dallas Morning News reported. Coffee also attended Baylor University, according to the IMDb page.
Authorities say Coffee wore a brown cowboy hat, a camouflage jacket, and blue bandana and brandished a crutch during the storming of the Capitol.
As the crowd advanced on the Capitol Jan. 6, Coffee walked up the steps toward the Lower Terrace entrance way and turned toward the crowd gathered, according to the complaint.
He was involved in an altercation with officers, and body camera footage shows Coffee grabbed a crutch from the top of the stairs near the lower terrace area and held it over his head, authorities allege.
Footage showed Coffee lower the crutch and push it into a line of officers, and as officers tried to push him back, Coffee charged at the officers while holding the crutch, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that, based on the footage, Coffee “intended to further use the crutch as a blunt object weapon.”
Authorities also noted in court documents Coffee discussed conspiracy theories on social media back in October.
Law enforcement say they identified Coffee using photos and videos on social media, his driver’s license, and body camera and surveillance footage.
FBI agents interviewed Coffee Jan. 13, and Coffee admitted to being at the Capitol Jan. 6 and holding a crutch above his head, but said he “did not engage in any type of physical confrontations with the police while at the Capitol Building,” according to the complaint.
Coffee told agents he left Dallas Jan. 4 and arrived Jan. 5, but said he “could not recall where he resided while in Washington D.C.,” the complaint states.
Authorities say he told agents he returned to Dallas Jan. 7.
Shortly after returning to Dallas, Texas Monthly reported he went to a Hill Country resort where he stayed for more than six weeks after the owner offered to house him for a discount.
Agents urged Coffee to meet “face-to-face” and he turned himself in at the Earle Cabell federal courthouse Thursday, the magazine reported.
