WASHINGTON (AP) – Police were outnumbered.
Only a few dozen guarded the western front of the U.S. Capitol when they were rushed by thousands of pro-Trump riots that pushed them into the building.
Armed with metal pipes, pepper spray and other weapons, the crowd passed in front of the thin police line and a riot police threw a fire extinguisher at an officer, according to a video widely posted on YouTube.
“Enter the Capitol tonight! They come in, ”the man who was filming shouted in delight.
They broke the line moments later, and riots soon broke out in the building, taking the chambers of the House and Senate and running to the Statuary Hall and other sacred symbols of democracy. The crowd sacked the place, crushing windows and waving Trump, American and Confederate flags. Lawmakers voting to claim the victory of President-elect Joe Biden were forced to hide for hours.
Throughout hand-to-hand combat, police officers were injured, mocked, ridiculed and threatened. A Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries sustained during the riot. The melee was instigated by a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump who professed their love for law enforcement and mocked the massive police reform protests that shook the nation last year after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“We supported you in the summer,” one person shouted at three officers who leaned against a doorway of dozens of men shouting for them to get out of their way. “When the whole country hated you, we had our backs!”
The fury shocked the world and left the country on the brink, forcing the resignations of three top Capitol security officials for breaching the breach. Lawmakers have demanded a review of operations and an FBI report on what they called a “terrorist attack.”
Sicknick was the fifth person to die from Capitol violence.
A California woman was shot dead by Capitol police and three more people died after breach-related “medical emergencies,” including at least one who died of an apparent heart attack.
Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a fight, two police officials said, though it was unclear if he was the officer shown in the video. Officials were unable to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Another disturbing video shows a bloodied police officer calling for help as he is crushed by riots inside the Capitol building. The young officer is fixed between a riot shield and a metal door. Bleeding from his mouth, he screams in pain and shouts, “Help!”
Other images show police completely overwhelmed by the riots they pushed, kicking and punching the building. In a stunning video, a lone police officer tries to stop a crowd of protesters from breaking into the lobby. It fails.
People attacked police with pipes, sprayed irritants and even planted live bombs found in the area.
Sicknick’s family said Friday they had wanted to be police for life. He served in the New Jersey National Air Guard before joining Capitol Police in 2008. Many details about the incident are unknown and Sicknick’s family urged the public and the media not to convert his death in a political problem.
However, the riot – and Sicknick’s death – focused his attention on Capitol police. a force of more than 2,300 civilian officers and employees that protects the Capitol, legislators, staff, and visitors. The agency has an annual budget of about $ 515 million.
Three days before the riot, the Pentagon offered labor to the National Guard. And as the crowd descended on the building on Wednesday, Justice Department leaders came to offer FBI agents. Capitol police rejected them both times, according to senior defense officials and two people familiar with the matter.
Despite many warnings about a possible insurgency and ample resources and time to prepare, police only planned a demonstration of free speech.
Like many other agencies, Capitol Police have been heavily affected by COVID-19, with frequent schedule changes for officers and many forced to work overtime to fill lists. The pandemic has put police under pressure for the new session of Congress and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20th.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who on Thursday relinquished pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders, defended her department’s response, saying officers “acted bravely in front of thousands of individuals involved in violent revolted actions “. Two other senior security officials, Arms Senate Sergeant Michael Stenger and Arms Sergeant Paul Irving, also resigned.
As of Friday, prosecutors had filed 14 cases in federal district court and 40 more in the District of Columbia High Court for various offenses, ranging from assault on police officers to entry into restricted areas of the State Capitol United States, theft of federal property and threat to lawmakers. Prosecutors said there were additional sealed cases, which were sought by dozens of other people by federal agents, and that the U.S. attorney in Washington promised that “there were all options on the table” for charges, possibly including sedition.
Among the defendants was Richard Barnett, an Arkansas man who was shown in a prominent photo sitting in Pelosi’s office with his boots on the desk. He also wrote a derogatory note to Pelosi. Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen described Barnett’s photo as “shocking” and “repulsive.”
“Those who are shown to have committed criminal acts during the Capitol storm will face justice,” Rosen said.
A West Virginia state lawmaker was also charged with posting videos online showing how he pushed himself into the Capitol, punching himself with a police officer and then circling the roundabout while shouting. “Our house!” Lawmaker Derrick Evans was arrested by the FBI at his home Friday and charged with entering restricted federal properties.
Gus Papathanasiou, president of the Capitol Police Officers Union, said he was “incredibly proud of the individual officers whose actions protected the lives of hundreds of members of Congress and their staff.”
Once the breach of the Capitol building was inevitable, officers prioritized life over property, which led to security, he said. “Neither a member of Congress nor his staff were injured. Our officers did their job. Our leadership does not. Our police partners who helped us were remarkable. “
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who heads a subcommittee overseeing the Capitol police budget, said Friday that base officers “were in an incredibly dangerous situation. And that’s where my frustration comes in.” .
Sund and other leaders are tasked with protecting lawmakers, “but also ensuring that core members are in situations where they are as safe as possible and have the support they need. And that’s clearly not the case,” Ryan said.
Pelosi ordered the flags at the Capitol to be lowered to half-mast in honor of Sicknick.
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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Nomaan Merchant in Houston, and Derek Karikari in New York contributed to this report.