--- title: "See inside the Capitol after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building" description: "The Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. has been placed on lockdown after rioters stormed congressional buildings." date: "2021-01-06" modified: "2021-01-07" authors: - name: "Haley Britzky" job_title: "Former Army Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/haley-britzky.md" - name: "James Clark" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/james-clark.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/election-mob-protest-capitol-hill-donald-trump/" categories: - "Around the World" - "News" - "United States" tags: - "donald trump" - "Northern Command" - "scandals" - "Terrorism" - "the white house" --- # See inside the Capitol after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building ![]() *Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., comforts Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., while taking cover as protesters disrupt the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.* The Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. has been placed on lockdown, and the city put under a curfew after a post-election protest devolved into chaos. What started as a protest in support of President Donald Trump — which took place during the electoral vote count — quickly turned into a riot as a mob pushed past D.C. police barricades, broke windows, and made their way into congressional buildings, including the Capitol Building. Once rioters made their way inside, Vice President Mike Pence was [quickly ushered off the Senate floor](). Lawmakers, staffers, federal employees, reporters, and others on the Hill were directed to shelter in place, lock their doors, and stay silent. (In the wake of the riots four people were left dead, [CNN reported]().) The Washington, D.C. and [Virginia National Guard]() have been mobilized to respond to events at the capitol; more than [300 D.C. guardsmen]() were activated originally, but as events unfolded on Wednesday Pentagon leadership approved the full activation of the D.C. guard. It’s unclear how many guardsmen from the Virginia National Guard were being mobilized. A statement to Task & Purpose said details regarding the number of personnel would not be released out of operational security concerns. According to NBC News’ Leigh Ann Caldwell, FBI personnel have been deployed to congressional buildings on Capitol Hill. https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1346930771575992321?s=20 The city has been bracing for the protests since last month when [Trump tweeted]() that there would be a “\[b\]ig protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” he said. Last week Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the head of the Proud Boys, [an alt right hate group](), [said on social media]() that the group would “turn out in record numbers” on Jan. 6. Tarrio [was arrested on Monday]() for allegedly burning a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a historic Black church in D.C. https://twitter.com/carolinebrehman/status/1346895556665335810 Video and photos of the unrest quickly began surfacing online as rioters made their way through federal buildings. It’s a surreal and chaotic view of the nation’s capital: people can be seen scaling the walls of federal buildings; battering down doors; there are physical altercations and shoving; pepper spray; selfies between cops and unlawful trespassers; and photos of rioters wandering freely through the halls of Congress, some hoisting Confederate flags over their shoulders. Here's what we've seen today so far: https://twitter.com/ElijahSchaffer/status/1346881968819105792 ![]() *Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the West wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)* https://twitter.com/washingtonian/status/1346898575654068224 https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1346898828092465154 https://twitter.com/igorbobic/status/1346911809274478594 https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1346920198461419520 https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoonews/video/6914741312281382150?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6911803095626860037&is_from_webapp=v2 ![]() *UNITED STATES - JANUARY 6: Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., comforts Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., while taking cover as protesters disrupt the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)* https://twitter.com/GettyImagesNews/status/1346910868638900227 https://twitter.com/kathrynw5/status/1346911494236106753 ![]() *The House Chamber is empty after a hasty evacuation as protesters tried to break into the chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)* https://twitter.com/TaylorPopielarz/status/1346903945264967682?s=20 https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1346930771575992321 https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1346931174875295745 https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1346917615483187200 ***UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect that four people died during the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill.*** ## Author Haley Britzky was the Task & Purpose Army reporter from 2019 to 2022. She previously worked at Axios covering breaking news. She reports on important developments within the service, from new uniforms to new policies; the realities of military life facing soldiers and their families; and broader cultural issues that expand outside of the Army, touching each of the military services. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()