Shortly after 1 p.m. ET, hundreds of pro-Trump protesters pushed through the barricades erected along the perimeter of the Capitol, where they struggled with officers in full riot gear. Some call the officers ‘traitors’ because they are doing their job. About 90 minutes later, police said protesters entered the building and the doors to the House and Senate were locked. Shortly afterwards, the floor of the house was evacuated by the police.
An armed stop took place from 3pm ET at the front door of the house, and police officers fired their guns at anyone trying to break it. A Trump supporter was also pictured at the Senate scene.
According to two sources known, a woman is in a critical condition after she was shot in the chest at the Capitol site. The sources could not provide further details on the circumstances of the shooting.
The Senate floor was cleared of rioters from ET around 3:30 p.m., and an officer told CNN that they had successfully pushed themselves away from the Senate wing of the building and toward the Rotunda, and that they were fleeing the East. and removed the West. doors of the Capitol.
It is not clear if any individuals were arrested.
Vice President Mike Pence was also removed from the Capitol, where he would fulfill his role in counting election votes.
Video from inside the Capitol showed Trump supporters marching through the Statuary Hall. According to a well-known source, the US Capitol police are asking for additional law enforcement for help, including federal authorities.
The Department of Defense has received a request from U.S. Capitol Police for additional DC National Guard troops, but according to a senior defense official, no decision has been made.
The official said the DC National Guard does not expect to be used to protect federal facilities, and the Trump administration decided earlier this week that the task would be civil law enforcement, the official said.
The source says there are several suspicious devices outside the Capitol building.
According to an acquaintance, the leadership of the House and Senate is safe and in an unknown location. A separate legislature said members of the House had been evacuated to a location that this source would not disclose.
The U.S. Capitol Police are working to secure the second floor of the Capitol first, and will then expand from there. Outside the Capitol, the DC Metropolitan Police Department is still continuing, but no major move has yet been made to the crowd.
The Capitol police officer in the living room told lawmakers they might have to dive under their chairs, informing that protesters were in the Rotunda of the building. Many members of the house were seen wearing gas masks as they moved between Capitol buildings. Members called family to say they were doing well.
While the White House declined to comment on the protests, Trump said on Twitter, “Support our Capitol police and law enforcement. They are truly on the side of our country. Stay peaceful!”
Others in the president’s court tweeted their calls for calm as the mob repeatedly tried to take over the building.
Donald Trump, the president’s son, said his supporters who tampered with the Capitol were “wrong and not who we are”.
“Be calm and use your first amendment rights, but do not act like the other side. We have a country to save and it does not help anyone,” he tweeted.
The protesters violated outside security barriers, and video footage shows protesters marching with police near the Capitol building. CNN’s team on the ground saw a number of protesters trying to get up on the side of the Capitol building. Several loud lightnings were heard.
Protesters could be seen pushing against metal fences and police using the fences to push protesters back, while other officers grabbed over the top of the head around club people trying to cross their stripes.
Flash blasts could be heard at the steps of the Capitol as smoke filled the air. In some cases, officers can be seen using pepper spray. Tear gas was deployed, but it is not clear if it was done by protesters or police, and people wiped tears from their eyes while coughing.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has just announced a city-wide evening clock from 6pm ET on Wednesday to 6pm ET on Thursday.
According to a federal law enforcement official, federal and local law enforcers are responding to reports of possible pipe bombs at several locations in Washington DC. It is unclear whether the devices are real or a hoax, but it is treated as genuine.
This is a striking story and will be updated.