Then Fanone, who had just been touched in the back of the neck a few times, heard something cold that made him go into survival mode.
“Some guys got their hands on my gun and they shouted, ‘Kill him with his own gun,'” said Fanone, who has been a police officer for nearly two decades.
In an interview with CNN, Fanone described his experience with the fight against a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump who invaded the Capitol in an uprising not yet in modern American history.
Federal officials said the details of the violence coming out would be disturbing.
Fanone, a drug detective working in ordinary clothes, heard the commotion at the Capitol and grabbed his still brand new police uniform that hung in his locker and put it on for the first time. He rushes with his partner to the building and helps officers who are being pushed back by rioters.
But Fanone, who said he would rather be shot than lure him into a crowd where he has no control, was suddenly in his biggest nightmare as an officer. And in those few moments, Fanone considered using deadly force. He thought about using his gun, but he knew he did not have enough firepower and he would soon be overpowered again, except this time they would probably use his gun against him and they would have the reason to kill him. end.
“So, the other option I was thinking of was trying to appeal to someone’s humanity. And I just remember screaming that I had kids. And it seemed like it was working,” the 40-year-old father of four said.
A group within the rioters surrounded Fanone and protected him until help arrived, saving his life.
“Thank you, but f *** you for being there,” Fanone said of the rioters who were protecting him at that moment.
Fanone’s anger and frustration was a sentiment felt by law enforcers across the country, furious that Trump supporters had trampled on the grounds of the Capitol the same day that Joe Biden’s victory was confirmed by the House and Senate.
Fanone’s dramatic encounter with Trump-backed rioters was repeated across the grounds of the U.S. Capitol as law enforcers struggled to push them back. Fanone, one of the many officers injured in the brutal battle, shared his story for the first time and still had the consequences of a mild heart attack.
Since the Capitol outbreak, investigators have analyzed every aspect of the day’s events, from the response of the U.S. Capitol Police to the nationwide hunt for all involved.
“Some of the things we saw on the ground were certainly indicative of some coordination, but I think if we go further into the investigation, a lot of it will become known,” the acting MPD said. chief Robert Contee told reporters on Thursday.
Fanone said the rioters had weapons, whether they were taken from his fellow police.
“We had chemical irritants sprayed. They had pipes and various metal objects, clubs, some of which, according to my people, were taken by law enforcement personnel. They hit us through this,” Fanone said. sat down at a desk while an uprising was taking place at the Capitol.
“And then it was just the large number of rioters. The power that came from that side,” he added. “It was hard to resist when you were only about 30 guys at 15,000.”
“He almost foams at the mouth”
Officer Daniel Hodges was another officer who tried to fight rioters but was picked up in the fight. Hodges gained notoriety after footage of him slammed through a door. The 32-year-old officer is seen in the incision with blood dripping through his teeth as he continues to gasp for enough air so he could shout ‘Help’ on top of his lungs.
Hodges rushed to the Capitol to provide support like many others and was quickly assaulted by an angry mob who, according to him, believed they were patriots.
“There’s a man pulling down my mask, he could tear the baton away and hit me with it,” said Hodges, who was stuck in the door, adding that his arm was bent before they snatched the weapon.
“He practically foamed at the mouth, so righteous, these people were true believers in the worst way.”
Hodges was eventually rescued by other officers who eventually came to his aid.
“You know things look bad,” said Hodges, who miraculously walked away without serious injuries and possibly suffered a mild concussion. “I asked for everything I was worth, and an officer behind me could get me enough space to pull me out of it and get me to the back so I could pull myself out.”
This was Hodges’ first visit to the Capitol building.
‘They feel right’
The patrol officer said he had heard about the possibility of violence for years, so he was not surprised that the rioters would storm the Capitol. What did surprise him was how the rebels thought the police would be on their side.
“Some of them felt we would be quick friends because so many of them had a voice,” Hodges said. “They say things like, ‘Yeah, we supported you through all this Black Lives Matter stuff, you need our backs,’ and they feel right.”
He added: ‘They felt that they would just walk there and tell us that they were here to take Congress back, and we would agree with them and we would walk hand in hand and just take over the country. But of course this is not the case and it will never be the case. ‘
Now, a few days before Biden’s inauguration, federal authorities are warning of other threats that may come.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has publicly warned people not to come to the city for the inauguration.
Hodges reflected her sentiments and wanted not only residents but also Trump supporters and extremists to stay home. But with one caveat.
‘Stay home. Stop it, ‘says Hodges. “On the other hand, I hope they get caught. Let’s leave it there.”