Police Had an Armed Standoff With Trump Protester Inside the Capitol Building

Pro-Trump protesters breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, triggering a lockdown.
January 6, 2021, 8:23pm

Police engaged in an armed standoff at the door of the U.S. House of Representatives after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Wednesday.

Bloomberg News’ Erik Wasson described police as “pointing guns at protestors who have broken glass door” in a tweet Wednesday afternoon. CNN also described the incident as a “standoff” in which police had their guns drawn because someone was trying to breach the chamber. CNN reported later Wednesday afternoon that police were clearing rioters from the Capitol.


An unidentified woman was shot in the Capitol building and later died, according to the Washington Post. The circumstances of that incident weren’t immediately clear.

News footage taken at the moment of the breach showed a crush of people wearing American flag gear and camouflage shoving past police. Ultimately, a group of about at least a dozen people that believe Trump is the rightful winner of the election made it into the building, according to the Washington Post. People also scaled the Capitol wall and climbed the scaffolding. 

The pro-Trump rioters triggered a lockdown, and some reporters said they were forced to hide in the House gallery before they were escorted out of the chamber. One photo showed people in the gallery crouched on the floor, with some lying down. In a tweet, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari wrote that lawmakers prayed after they evacuated together. 

After encouraging the demonstrations and pledging they’d be “wild,” Trump called for calm in a tweet Wednesday.
