Timeline of the Capitol seige
January 6th, 2021. Congress meets to declare Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 election, and a pro-Trump mob storms the Capitol Building.
Calm Before the Storm
At 10:00 A.M., groups began to gather outside the Capitol building to protest Congress’s ceremonial declaration of President-Elect Joe Biden’s win.
Supporters planned the protests over the course of two weeks, likely stemming from former President Donald Trump’s tweet on Dec. 19, “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there. Will be wild!” His Twitter account has since been suspended permanently, and all his tweets deleted.
At approximately 11:40 A.M., according to the New York Times and eyewitness accounts, a far-right neo-fascist group called the Proud Boys joined the protests, foreshadowing the violent turn this event would take as the group is known for engaging and inciting political violence around the country. In September of 2020, a member of the group was arrested on 12 charges, including multiple felonies for assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
Trump held a rally at noon and gave an inflammatory speech to the crowd. He was cited by rev.com, who transcribed the speech, as saying, “When you catch someone in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules,” furthering Trump’s narrative that the election was a hoax.
He also reportedly said to the crowd, “After this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you.” At 12:30 P.M., the crowd started to walk from the site where the rally was held down Constitution Avenue towards the Capitol.
Violence Erupts
Nearing 1:00 in the afternoon, protestors outside the Capitol grew increasingly violent. They began to clash with the police and breached the first and outermost barrier blocking off the building.
Overwhelming the Capitol Police, the mob broke through more barriers until they reached the building itself at approximately 2:00 P.M.. It was then that the violence really began. The mob smashed windows and surrounded the building in an attempt to get inside.
Eyewitness video evidence shows the lengths they were willing to go to accomplish their goal of stopping Biden’s certification. Rioters stole batons and shields from Capitol Police outfitted in riot gear and used them to break through glass and beat officers. According to the New York Times, over 50 officers were injured, at least 15 required hospitalization, one officer was killed, and one rioter was killed.
Backup was called for at this time, including a request for the National Guard by Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C., and the Washington D.C. police force supplied additional support. Rioters breached the building before help could arrive, though, and the Capitol Police were spread thin.
At 2:10 P.M., the mob was inside the Capitol building.
Inside the Building
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi began the joint session to certify the presidential vote at 1:00 in the afternoon. About ten minutes later, House republicans objected to certifying Arizona’s results, causing the House and Senate to go to their separate chambers to vote on this objection.
Capitol Police escorted then-Vice President Mike Pence off the Senate floor at 2:12 P.M. once rioters breached the west side of the building near the Senate chambers. The Senate called a recess.
Capitol Police escorted Pelosi off the House of Representatives floor soon after, while Representatives continued to debate. Eventually, a recess was called for the House as well.
Around this time, the building went into lockdown. Lawmakers learned of the breach through an emergency alert sent to their phones.
The mob breached a second entrance at the east side near the House chamber at 2:30 P.M., and was at the doors to the chamber while Representatives were still inside, prompting officers to draw their guns.
It was only after this breach that Representatives were evacuated from the chamber. Soon after, the mob reached the Speaker’s lobby – a long corridor outside the House chamber covered in portraits of Speakers past – and began to make their way to the Senate chamber.
“I checked to make sure that the doors were locked. I checked them. I started to leave the chamber and started to hear ‘pop!, pop!, pop!’” New York Representative Tom Souzzi recalled.
At approximately 2:45 P.M., rioter Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by Capitol Police. Babbitt was a Trump supporter and Air Force veteran who dove into political expression after her work in the Air Force. She was vocal about her distaste for politicians, tweeting a video in which she says, “You guys refuse, refuse to choose America over your stupid political party, I am so tired of it.”
De-escalation Tactics
Nearly an hour after rioters breached a third entrance, a F.B.I. A SWAT team was sighted in the area. Simultaneously, Trump tweeted a video telling the mob to go home. In this video, he said, “This was a fraudulent election. […] Go home. We love you. You’re very special.”
A Capitol officer held off a group of rioters as the Senate was evacuated from their chamber, he eventually led the rioters away towards the opposite end of the building. The Senate chamber was declared secure.
After Babbitt’s death, the mood in the building changed. As more backup for the Capitol police arrived, rioters grew more compliant. They were escorted out of the building, but continued to protest outside until 6:00 P.M. curfew was called.
At 5:30 P.M., former Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving declared the Capitol secure. The National Guard arrived and began to assist the Capitol Police and the SWAT team.
Protests and riots continued outside the area even after the building itself was swept. A curfew for the entirety of Washington D.C. was announced at 6:00 P.M., and arrests were made when some of the mob disobeyed the order. A new perimeter around the Capitol was established about 15 minutes after the curfew by the National Guard and Capitol Police.
At 8:06 P.M., the Senate resumed their debate on the Arizona vote. An hour later, the House resumed as well.
What Comes Next?
Since Jan. 6, outrage has broken out around the country. Many called for Trump’s removal from office for inciting violence against government officials. He was impeached for a second time on Jan. 13. It was a historic trial; only three presidents have been impeached and before Trump, none had been impeached twice.
According to CNN, Trump has gone on record saying the trial for impeachment was a “witch hunt” and his speech to his supporters the day of the siege was “totally appropriate.”
The vote to impeach Trump was 232-197 for impeachment. 232 Representatives, 10 of whom are Republican, voted to impeach Trump. 197 Representatives, none of whom are democrats, voted against impeachment. The Senate’s trial is scheduled for Monday Jan. 25, Pelosi will walk the article from the House through the Capitol, to the Senate.
Many fingers have pointed towards Capitol security to blame for the incident, saying that there was too much noise of a riot in the days leading up to the session for the amount of security placed on site.
With so much contention about security and who exactly is to blame, Irving resigned on Jan. 7, allegedly due to the events the day prior.
According to NBC, over 25,000 National Guard members were called in to hold security during Biden and Harris’ inaugurations. Trump was at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, a resort and country club, and did not attend the inauguration. Many rioters, including Riley June Williams who attempted to steal Pelosi’s laptop and sell it, have been arrested.
The investigation is still continuing, and there is no doubt that more arrests will be made.
Caitlin Mayhew is a senior in her third year of journalism and one of the editors in chief of the Spartan Shield. She’s an Aquarius sun, Aquarius moon,...
