The United States Capitol is on lockdown as a large group of pro-Trump rioters breached the building and stormed the Senate chamber and Congressional offices, forcing the evacuation of lawmakers.
The chaotic and unprecedented situation remains ongoing, with multiple reports of a woman being shot inside the building.
The building was breached while lawmakers were gathered inside the Capitol to count the Electoral College votes certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Thousands of Trump supporters had gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump amid his unfounded and increasingly incendiary claims of election fraud following his November loss to Biden.
Though the gathering began on the Ellipse, the park-like space on the Mall between the Washington Monument and the White House where Trump earlier led a rally, the group eventually moved from the Mall to the Capitol.
The rioters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the Capitol building just after 1 p.m. EST. Much later, at 3:36 p.m., Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted that the president had sent in the National Guard.
Video footage taken at the scene showed people carrying “Trump 2020” and “Don’t Tread on Me” flags clashing with police, many in full riot gear, near the Capitol building.
CNN reporters posted inside the House building reported hearing chants of “USA! USA!” as the rioters entered the building.
The Senate abruptly recessed and stopped the proceedings of tallying the votes after the building was breached. Lawmakers subsequently evacuated the building.
C-SPAN showed footage of tear gas being deployed inside the Capitol. Images widely circulated on television showed an armed standoff between a rioter and law enforcement.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she was issuing a 6 p.m. curfew for Washington D.C. as the events began to unfold.
Earlier in the day, in his remarks to supporters gathered outside, Trump said, “We will never give up, we will never concede.”
Hours after the Capitol had been breached, Trump delayed telling his supporters to leave the building, tweeting first, “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
Later, around 3:13 p.m., he added, “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
In a taped statement posted to his Twitter account at 4:17 p.m., Trump repeated his false claim that the election was “stolen” and said to the rioters, “We love you, you’re very special.” He also instructed the rioters to go home, saying, “You have to go home now, we have to have peace.”
Hours later, Twitter removed the video as well as a subsequent Tweet by Trump during which he seemed to glorify the rioters.
Reports of woman shot
According to CNN, ABC and CBS, who cite sources familiar with the matter, a woman was shot during the riots. CNN reports the woman was shot in the chest on the Capitol grounds.
In a phone interview with Fox News reporter Bill Hemmer, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy said that shots had been fired inside the Capitol.
“People are being hurt. There have been shots that have been fired. This is unacceptable,” McCarthy said, adding that he was with Capitol Police when he heard on the radio that shots had been fired around 3 p.m. EST.
PEOPLE’s calls to the Capitol Police were not immediately returned.
Biden says Democracy under assault
In a speech from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden called on the president to take a firm stand against the rioters.
“President Trump, step up,” Biden said.
He added, “At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented assault unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times. An assault on the citadel of liberty, the capitol itself.”
Biden added, “Let me be very clear, the scenes at the Capitol do not reflect the true America,” the president-elect asserted. “What we’re seeing is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. This is not dissent, it’s chaos.”
Similar riots were reported in other parts of the country including in Kansas, where a group breached the state house and in Georgia, where a group gathered outside the Georgia Capitol, leading to an evacuation of lawmakers and staffers in the building. Staff in the Utah Capitol have been evacuated as well, according to reports.