WASHINGTON—A mob of President Trump’s supporters
stormed the Capitol, overwhelming police and creating a chaotic, violent scene that derailed for several hours
the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
For up-to-the-minute coverage of the riot on Capitol Hill, see
WSJ’s Live Updates
Hundreds of people echoing Mr. Trump’s false claims that Democrats stole the 2020 election had gathered Wednesday ahead of a last-ditch effort from his congressional allies to contest the results in Congress. Those demonstrations turned violent, with rioters barging their way past police and into the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to shelter under desks and the evacuation of congressional leaders to nearby Fort McNair, a U.S. law-enforcement official said.
With rioters roaming freely in the Capitol, police closed the doors to the House and Senate chambers, using furniture to barricade the doors in the House. Several police officers drew their weapons, instructing lawmakers to put on gas masks and stay on the floor until they could be safely evacuated.
A woman who was shot by Capitol police during the unrest has died, D.C. police said. Three more people at the protests died due to medical emergencies, the police added.
The scenes, playing out in real time across the nation on cable television, represented a stunning coda to Mr. Trump’s presidency as Congress assembled to certify his opponent’s win. Washington sees frequent political demonstrations and skirmishes. But scenes of rioters confronting police on the Capitol steps, scaling the sides of the iconic building and sitting in lawmakers’ chairs prompted outrage among Washington lawmakers and officials.
A Congress staffer held his hands up while a Capitol Police Swat team checked everyone in the room as they secured the floor of Trump supporters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Olivier Douliery/Agence France-Presse/Getty (Images 1 of 24)
The descent into anarchy came as Mr. Trump, a Republican, has tried, unsuccessfully, for two months to persuade state officials and courts to reverse his loss to Mr. Biden, a Democrat.
Speaking Wednesday morning to supporters before the demonstrators had entered the Capitol complex, Mr. Trump had urged them to keep up the fight against the election results and march to the Capitol.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) called the rioting a “failed insurrection.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said that Wednesday would join “that very short list of dates in American history that will live, forever, in infamy.”
It took hours for police to secure and clear the Capitol building. Vice President Mike Pence presided over the U.S. Senate as it reconvened around 8 p.m. to restart the electoral vote debate and count. The House reconvened about an hour later.
“To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win,” Mr. Pence said. “Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the people’s house.” He added: “Let’s get back to work.”