The US Capitol secured 4 hours after being breached by pro-Trump rioters
J. Scott Applewhite
- Thousands of protesters from across the US gathered in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to protest the presidential vote certification in Congress.
- The protests turned into riots, which led to the Capitol being evacuated as rioters stormed the building and halted the vote-certification process.
- The US Capitol was secured four hours after being breached.
- Before the vote-certification process, Trump whipped his supporters into a frenzy using a groundless claim that Congress could selectively throw out states' electoral votes based on unsubstantiated assertions of fraud.
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US officials announced Wednesday evening that the US Capitol building had been secured - four hours after it was breached by pro-Trump supporters in an attempted coup.
—Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 6, 2021
The protests grew violent after the president's speech as rioters fought against police while attempting to enter the US Capitol. They ultimately succeeded.
The Capitol went into lockdown as both the House of Representatives and the Senate were in their chambers discussing the validity of Arizona's vote in the election. Congress was later sent into recess before members were evacuated from the building when protesters gained entrance into the Capitol building about 1:30 p.m. ET.
Members of Congress were seen wearing emergency gas masks as they were evacuated. In the hours following the evacuation, the siege continued as supporters of President Donald Trump rallied inside the building with Confederate and pro-Trump flags.
—Rep. David Trone (@RepDavidTrone) January 6, 2021
Gunshots were later heard in the building, and one woman was fatally shot, according to NBC News. Multiple prominent members of the far-right QAnon conspiracy-theory movement were also seen inside of the Capitol and among the first rioters to gain entrance.
—Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
Congress has yet to finish certifying the results of the presidential election, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing members of Congress to continue to verify the election results now that the building has been secured, according to The Washington Post.
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