Pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, the day that Congress met to certify the Electoral College results.
A woman inside the Capitol was shot and taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. The Washington, D.C., National Guard was mobilized to support local law enforcement, and by late afternoon, 13 people had been arrested.
Parts of the Capitol building were placed on lockdown, and the congressional tally was paused. A curfew was enacted at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
By the end of the day, 52 had been arrested, and three more people died during medical emergencies outside the Capitol. Early Thursday morning, Congress certified the Electoral College results showing Joe Biden as the winner.
By late Wednesday afternoon, peace was restored after Republicans and Democrats alike called for protesters to leave the building and let Democracy run its course.
“I know your pain, I know your hurt,” said President Donald Trump, who repeated his allegations about election fraud during a minute-long video on Twitter. “But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order.”
The tweet came at 4:17 p.m. Eastern time, several hours after protesters broke a barrier and entered the Capitol.
Mr. Biden described the rioting as “insurrection” and “chaos.”
“I call on this mob to pull back now and allow the work of democracy to go forward,” Mr. Biden said.
The protesters entered the building shortly after the House and Senate started debates in their chambers over Republicans’ objections to the results showing that Mr. Biden won the election with 306 Electoral College votes. According to those results, President Trump has 232 votes.
Vice President Mike Pence, who oversaw the joint session of Congress for the certification and is president of the Senate, and senators and representatives were evacuated. Mr. Pence urged the protesters to leave the building.
“The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now,” Vice President Pence tweeted. “Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building.”
He said Americans have the right to protest peacefully, but “this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, posted in a Tweet that he was safe, sheltering in place and following Capitol Police guidance.
“Let me be clear: this will not deter Congress from certifying the election. We will uphold democracy,” Rep. Carbajal tweeted.
The sentiment was echoed in a tweet by state Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara. “What is happening in our nation’s Capitol is not a representation of the democracy we aim to be. These actions are unlawful and continue to divide our Nation, rather than bring us together to combat the threats we face with this pandemic.”
Earlier at a rally near the White House, President Trump had encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol to make their voices heard about the Electoral College results.
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