WASHINGTON (AP) – The police are far fewer.
Only a few dozen guarded the western front of the American Capitol when they were rushed by thousands of rioters in front of Trump who wanted to enter the building.
Armed with metal pipes, pepper spray and other weapons, the mob pushed past the thin police line, and one riot threw a fire extinguisher at an officer, according to the video that was widely circulated on YouTube.
‘They’re climbing the Capitol tonight! They come in, ”shouts the man who filmed for joy.
Moments later, they crossed the line, and rioters quickly broke into the building, took over the chambers of the House and Senate, and walked around the Statuary Hall and other secret symbols of democracy. The mob looted the place, windows smash and Trump, American and Confederate flags wave. The lawmakers who voted to confirm the victory of President Joe Biden had to hide for hours.
Police officers were injured, mocked, ridiculed and threatened throughout the protest. One Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries sustained during the riot. The protest was sparked by a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump who professed their love of law enforcement and mocked the police reform protest action that rocked the country last year after the assassination of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“We supported you in the summer,” shouted one person at three officers leaning against a door by dozens of men shouting for them to get out of their way. “When the whole country hated you, we had your back!”
The racketeering shocked the world and left the country, forcing the resignation of three top Capitol security officials for failing to stop the offense. Lawmakers have demanded a review of the operations and an FBI briefing on what they call a “terrorist attack.”
Sicknick was the fifth person to die from violence in the Capitol. A California woman has been shot dead by Capitol police, and three other people have died after ‘medical emergencies’ related to the offense, including at least one who died of an apparent heart attack.
Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head during a fight with a fire extinguisher, two police officials said, although it is not clear if he is the officer shown in the video. Officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation in public and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
In another disturbing video, a bloodied police officer may scream for help as he is crushed by rioters in the Capitol building. The young officer is pinned between a riot screen and metal door. He blew out of his mouth and cried out in pain and shouted, “Help!”
In other images, police are completely overwhelmed by rioters who stormed, kicked and beat the building. In one beautiful video, a lone police officer tries to stop a crowd of protesters from cracking in the foyer. He failed.
People attacked the police with pipes, sprayed irritants and even planted live bombs in the area.
The riot drew renewed attention to the Capitol police, a force of more than 2,300 officers and civilian employees protecting the Capitol, lawmakers, staff and visitors. The agency has an annual budget of approximately $ 515 million.
Three days before the riot, the Pentagon offered National Guard manpower. And when the mob descended on the building on Wednesday, Justice Department leaders presented the FBI agents. According to senior defense officials and two people familiar with the matter, Capitol police turned down both offers.
Despite many warnings about a possible uprising and enough resources and time to prepare, the police only planned to have a free speech demonstration.
Like many other agencies, police in Capitol have been hit hard by COVID-19, with frequent scheduling changes for officers and many being forced to work overtime to fill out rosters. The pandemic put the police under pressure to go to the new Congress and the inauguration of Biden on January 20th.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who resigned on Thursday under pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders, defended his department’s response, saying officers ‘acted bravely in the face of thousands of individuals involved in violent riots’. Two other top security officers, Senate Sergeant Michael Stenger and House Sergeant Paul Irving, also resigned.
Prosecutors filed 17 cases in the federal district court and 40 others in the Columbia High Court on Saturday for various offenses, ranging from assaulting police officers to accessing restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol, theft of federal property and threatening lawmakers . Prosecutors said dozens of other people were wanted by federal agents, and the U.S. attorney in Washington promised that “all options were on the table” for charges, including possible sedition.
Among the accused was Richard Barnett, a man from Arkansas who was shown in a widespread photo in the Pelosi office with his boots on a desk. He also wrote a derogatory note to Pelosi. Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen called Barnett’s photo “shocking” and “repulsive.”
“Those who are proven to have committed criminal acts during the storms of the Capitol will face justice,” Rosen said.
Two rioters, whose photos became synonymous with Wednesday’s riots, were also taken into federal custody and charged on Saturday: Florida’s Adam Johnson, 36, who was photographed walking out of Pelosi’s pulpit – where she was standing. To announce Trump’s charge – on theft, violent charges of access to disorder; and Jacob Anthony Chansley, better known as Jake Angeli, who became a staple in his fur-clad Viking-like costume and painted face during pro-Trump protests across the country.
A West Virginia lawmaker has also been charged with posting videos online showing him entering the Capitol, punching a police officer and then milling around in the Rotunda while shouting ‘Our house! ‘The legislature, Derrick Evans, was arrested by the FBI on Friday and charged with trespassing on federal property.
Senator Mark Warner, the incoming chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the Capitol a “crime scene” with evidence to keep.
The Virginia Democrat on Saturday wrote to 11 telecommunications and social media companies asking them to immediately preserve the message data and subscriber information of those who may have participated in the attack, saying it was critical evidence to help stop these rioters to bring before the court. ‘These companies include mobile carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and from the social media world – Apple, Facebook, Gab, Google, Parler, Signal, Telegram and Twitter.
Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the Capitol Police Officers’ Union, said he was “incredibly proud of the individual officers whose actions protect the lives of hundreds of members of Congress and their staff.”
Once the breach of the Capitol building was inevitable, officers prioritized lives over property, leading people to safety. “Not a single member of Congress or their staff has been injured. Our officers did their job. Our leadership has not. Our law enforcement partners who assisted us were remarkable. ”
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who heads a subcommittee overseeing the Capitol Police’s budget, said Friday that officials “have been put in an incredibly dangerous situation. And that’s where my frustration comes in.”
Sund and others are accused of protecting legislators, “but also of making sure that the members of the hierarchy are placed in situations where they are as safe as possible and that they have the necessary support. And that is clearly not the case, “Ryan said.
Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol in honor of Sicknick to half-staff.
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Associated Press authors Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Nomaan Merchant in Houston and Derek Karikari in New York contributed to this report.