Democracy Dies: Chaos at US Congress Leaves 4 Dead, 52 Arrested

Trump supporters stormed the iconic US Capitol on Wednesday to prevent the Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote declaring President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Things took a nasty turn when hundreds of rioters stormed the building, leaving 4 dead and 52 arrested. Notably, none other than President Donald Trump had incited the people a few days ago to go to Congress and overturn the election results.

While the situation is under control now and lawmakers have resumed the process of formally certifying the vote, the impact of the chaos will prolong. Two top White House officials have resigned after the incident, including the deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Contee revealed that among the arrested, 47 violated Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 6 p.m. curfew while 26 were there on the US Capitol grounds. Many got arrested because of having unlicensed or prohibited firearms.

The police also found two pipe bombs in the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national committees and a cooler containing Molotov cocktail in a vehicle on capitol grounds. A woman was shot by the police while three other individuals died from medical emergencies. 14 police officers also got injured in the confrontation.

The number of arrests is expected to increase, as the rioters amounted to hundreds. The number is quite narrow now when compared to the arrests made in protests against the police killing of George Floyd. Allegedly, many rioters had entered the building and later escaped the arrest while exiting the building.

The rioters entered the building, forced their way through the security barricades, broke windows, and battled with the police in the hallways. This is the first assault in the last over 200 years. Many surrounded the House of Representatives chamber as the lawmakers were inside. The certification debate had to be suspended. The lawmakers managed to escape the building.

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