WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, an Ohio resident entered a guilty plea due to his involvement in the U.S. Capitol breach on January 6, 2021, an incident that interrupted a U.S. Congress session designed to verify and tally the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential race.
Ryan Swoope, a 29-year-old from Perry, Ohio, admitted to charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding specific officers in front of U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden. The court scheduled a sentencing date for Swoope on January 5, 2024.
Records from the court detail that Swoope, along with two other individuals, journeyed from Ohio to Washington, D.C. with the intent to participate in a rally at the Ellipse. Following the rally, they moved in the direction of the U.S. Capitol as part of a larger assembly of individuals.
By 3:08 p.m., Swoope had gained access to the U.S. Capitol using the Senate Wing Door. Inside, he observed shattered windows and heard the sound of alarms. Making his way through the building, Swoope proceeded to the Senate Spouses’ Lobby, where he joined others in chanting responses to the refrain “Whose House?” with the assertion “Our House.”
Shortly after, at 3:17 p.m., Swoope exited via the Senate Wing Door. He then migrated to the Capitol’s northern side, allying himself with a group of agitators by the North Door. When officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department sought refuge inside the Capitol through this door, Swoope and a number of other individuals began to swarm the entrance. At approximately 3:52 p.m., Swoope released a chemical irritant from a canister into the entryway, causing temporary blindness in a USCP sergeant for a duration of 20 minutes.
On November 30, 2022, the FBI took Swoope into custody in Mentor, Ohio.