President Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Wednesday, forcing Congress to evacuate as lawmakers counted the election votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Chaos erupted shortly after Trump delivered a speech once again falsely claiming to have won a second term and promising “that we will never concede.”
The angry crowd clashed with police, climbed walls and smashed windows and doors in the Capitol building. Some breached the Senate House while police officers fired weapons. The nation’s capital is under curfew tonight as a result of the violence. One woman died after being shot at the Capitol and several others were hospitalized with injuries, officials said.
Troops from the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC National Guardsmen were deployed to help quell the violence. Several hours after the initial infraction, law enforcement announced that the Capitol had been secured.
The Senate reconvened around 8pm in the east and the House reconvened at 9pm (ET) to continue counting the electoral votes.
“The United States and the U.S. Congress have faced far greater threats than the bewildered crowd we have seen today,” said Mitch McConnel, the Senate Majority Leader. “We had never been deterred. And today we will not be deterred.”
Trump told his supporters to return home, but repeated the false and inflammatory claim that the election had been stolen. “We must have peace, we must have law and order,” the president said.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP