© 2024 WFAE

Mailing Address:
8801 J.M. Keynes Dr. Ste. 91
Charlotte NC 28262
Tax ID: 56-1803808
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

PHOTOS: Mayhem Erupts In D.C. As Pro-Trump Extremists Storm U.S. Capitol

By Emily Bogle,
Claire Harbage, Reese Oxner
Published January 6, 2021 at 7:46 PM EST
Police stand behind their shields outside the Capitol after a day of rioting on Wednesday.
Police stand behind their shields outside the Capitol after a day of rioting on Wednesday.

Pro-Trump extremists stormed on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, halting the Electoral College certification and sending the U.S. Capitol into lockdown.

Chaos erupted in downtown D.C. A woman was shot and killed. President Trump ordered the National Guard. Violent mobs smashed windows and occupied buildings. Police had their guns drawn inside the U.S. Capitol as they attempted to control the situation.

The assault comes after two months of Trump and some other Republican leaders baselessly saying the election was stolen from him.

Even while calling for peace in a video on Twitter, Trump repeated his claim that the election was fraudulent. "We love you. You're very special," he said, as he told the supporters in D.C. to go home.

Lawmakers will resume accepting the Electoral College ballots for President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, after authorities cleared the Capitol building.

See scenes from the assault below.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Left: Protesters gather on the door of the U.S. Capitol Building. Right: A protester wears a gas mask after storming the U.S. Capitol.
/ Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images; Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
/
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images; Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Left: Protesters gather on the door of the U.S. Capitol Building. Right: A protester wears a gas mask after storming the U.S. Capitol.
Extremists breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification.
Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP via Getty Images
Extremists breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification.
Left: U.S. Capitol Police draw their guns as protesters attempt to enter the House Chamber. Right: Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
Left: U.S. Capitol Police draw their guns as protesters attempt to enter the House Chamber. Right: Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress.
A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber.
Protesters in the U.S. Capitol Building.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
Protesters in the U.S. Capitol Building.
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they invade the Inauguration platform.
Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP via Getty Images
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they invade the Inauguration platform.
Left: A person on a stretcher is placed in an ambulance outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Right: Authorities remove protesters from the U.S. Capitol.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
/
AP
Left: A person on a stretcher is placed in an ambulance outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Right: Authorities remove protesters from the U.S. Capitol.
A flag hangs between broken windows outside the U.S. Capitol
John Minchillo / AP
/
AP
A flag hangs between broken windows outside the U.S. Capitol
United States & World
Emily Bogle
See stories by Emily Bogle
Claire Harbage
See stories by Claire Harbage
Reese Oxner