Former US Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer has said he wants to give police “the benefit of the doubt” and hopes they try to undermine Wednesday’s events when pro-Trump rioters legislative building inside late.
“Sometimes if you do not have enough staff, you can not stand up and fight such a large crowd,” he said on Thursday in the NBC program “Today”, saying there were not enough law enforcers on the scene .
A ceremonial event at the Capitol confirming that Elected President Joe Biden won the election in November was abruptly interrupted on Wednesday afternoon after hundreds of rioters stormed inside.
Congressman and Vice President Mike Pence had to seek refuge. A woman was fatally shot by police during the chaos and three others died in ‘medical emergencies’, according to Washington Police Chief Robert Contee.
Amid the riots, there are videos of police allowing the protesters inside the building. One image showed a man taking a selfie with an officer.
Gainer, who served as chief of police in the Capitol from 2002 to 2006 and was the Senate weapons sergeant, said police’s handling of the situation was a ‘failure’ and ‘raises many questions. ‘
“There are clearly failures,” he said. ‘Many questions need to be asked and answers given. What is very clear is that the police underestimated the violent crowd and its size, and they overestimated their ability to control it. ‘
Bill Bratton, the former commissioner of the New York Police Department and an analyst at NBC News, said there should be an explanation as to why the crowd was admitted. “It looks terrible at the moment,” he said.
Many law enforcement officers across the country questioned how the police could not protect the building.
Gainer said on “Today” that he always thought it would be impossible to storm the Capitol. The last major invasion of the Capitol took place during the War of 1812.
Capitol police did not publicly comment on the riot and did not return a request for comment Thursday.
Photos from the chaos showed some lawmakers praying while rioters went on a rampage in the building, many of whom wore Trump banners and waved some of the Confederate flags. A photo appears of a noose hanging on the west side of the Capitol.
Windows in the building were smashed and doors were broken. Some of the rioters were pictured in the Senate chamber and the private offices of members of Congress.
The National Guard, FBI and US Marshals Service have all been called in to help.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a 12-hour curfew in the city that ended Thursday at 6 p.m.
