After a Tuesday rally of Pro-Trump supporters who claimed they were in Washington D.C. to ensure that ‘things are done right,’ many supporters remained in the Capitol overnight. Early on Wednesday, January 6, lawmakers from the Senate and the House both gathered for the constitutionally mandated counting of the votes from the Electoral College vote. In the hours before the assembly, President Trump publicly pressured Vice President Pence to overthrow the Elector results, calling him a coward, but Pence held steadfast that he would obey the authority of the vote.

As Congressmen met first to discuss a vote on certain objections to the Electoral Vote, the swelling crowd outside the Capitol building grew more aggressive and more aggravated. While Donald Trump, who was not present, tweeted about stolen elections at approximately 2pm, the U.S. Capitol Police began evacuating office buildings around the Capitol. At 2:20, rioters bypassed barricades (videos appear to show police officers pulling the barricades aside to to allow them to pass). Within 10 minutes, despite police use of tear gas, rioters were inside the Capitol building.

Inside, security locked doors and Members and staffers were told to shelter in place. In the next half hour, law enforcement focused on evacuating the Capitol building. At one point, rioters smashed the windows of the House Chamber, and the first rioter to crawl through was amply warned and then shot by armed security within the chamber. She was then evacuated along with the rest of the staffers.

For several more hours, rioters roamed the Capitol building until a peaceful joint effort of the National Guard and police forces from the neighboring states enforced a 6pm curfew, sweeping the rioters from the premises and allowing the proceedings, at last, to continue.

The day’s events saw four people left dead – the woman who was shot trespassing into the Chamber, and three other unidentified people from “medical emergencies,” but few injuries and surprisingly little violence.

Source: ABC 7

Editorial credit: Alex Gakos / Shutterstock.com