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HOUSTON - A Houston man entered a guilty plea on Wednesday for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Andrew Quentin Taake, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resulting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon. Taake disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to certify and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election, U.S. Attorney's Office says.
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols is scheduled to sentence Taake on March 26, 2024.
CAPITOL RIOT: Houston man who attacked Capitol on Jan. 6 with tomahawk gets 7 years in prison
Court documents reveal that Taake traveled from Houston to Washington, D.C., to protest the certification of the Electoral College vote by Congress on January 6, 202, and around 1:16 p.m. on that day, Taake breached the restricted grounds of the Capitol. Officials claim he used bear spray on law enforcement officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who were attempting to prevent rioters from advancing towards the Capitol building.
Around 2 p.m., more MPD officers attempted to reach the crowd of rioters to support their colleagues. Court records claim Taake emerged from the rioting crowd and attacked an MPD officer while wielding a whip-like weapon. He entered the Capitol building through the Senate Wing door at approximately 2:20 p.m., brandishing the whip-like weapon in the Crypt and nearby hallways.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 6: Protesters take over the Inaugural stage during a protest calling for legislators to overturn the election results in President Donald Trump's favor at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Rick …
Later that day, Taake messaged an individual on a dating application, describing his actions at the Capitol.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, when asked whether he was "near all the action," Taake responded, "Yes, from the very beginning. I was pepper sprayed, tear gassed, had flash bangs thrown at me, and hit with batons for peacefully standing there." Taake then sent a photo of himself, which he described as "[a]bout 20 minutes after being pepper sprayed. Safe to say I was the very first person to be sprayed that day…all while just standing there."
Taake was arrested on July 23, 2021, in Texas by the FBI. The 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, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office is leading the investigation, with support from the FBI’s Houston Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.
Since January 6, 2021, over 1,230 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol breach, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation is ongoing, and individuals with tips can contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.