- Thousands of people supporting President Donald Trump gathered to attend a rally at The Ellipse on Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C.
- A group of the attendees left Trump’s speech to march towards the Capitol building where they began scaling scaffolding set up for inauguration.
- Demonstrators were met with several rounds of chemical agents before they eventually breached a door and entered the Capitol.
WASHINGTON — Thousands of President Donald Trump supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. to hear him speak at a rally before some marched away and broke into the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday.
The crowd chanted “USA” and “stop the steal” while waiting for Trump to take the stage at The Ellipse near the White House. Some of the attendees left the rally early and headed towards the Capitol building where they tore down fencing and removed barricades until they reached the steps of the building.
“This is better than a rally after dark. I got my bear spray in my truck and my flag pole sharpened up,” an older man wearing a black Trump hat and smoking a cigarette said to a group of people while waiting for the president to speak. “I can’t help it if my flag pole broke in half!”
People overflowed from The Ellipse into the National Mall and up to the Washington Monument while waiting to hear President Donald Trump Speak in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A man stood behind a long line of banners expressing support for President Donald Trump by the Chinese American Alliance in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
President Donald Trump addresses a crowd of thousands of supporters in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Trump supporters move through an extremely congested Constitution Ave NW in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Supporters of President Donald Trump scaled various landmarks around the city attempting to get a better angle of the stage before his speech in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A President Donald Trump supporter holds up an issue of The Standard headlined “Trump Wins!” and dated Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered to hear him speak in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A member of the Three Percenters wore a “fuck Antifa” patch on her arm in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
People scaled structures set up around the Capitol building for the upcoming inauguration and demonstrators began throwing smoke bombs that emitted a yellow-tinted color at the first floor of the building as they attempted to breach a door on the west side of the Capitol building.
At first, only Capitol Police were on the scene, though they were eventually joined by Metropolitan Police Department officers in riot gear and other law enforcement officials who formed lines to attempt to control the crowd. (RELATED: Proud Boys Leader Banned From Washington, DC After Day In Court)
Law enforcement deployed multiple rounds of tear gas and flash-bang grenades in an attempt to control the demonstrators who were scaling the walls and scaffolding around the Capitol building. Some rioters eventually made their way into the building from the first-floor entrance before attempting to breach other points of entry.
Law enforcement officials deployed several rounds of tear gas in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol building for a “stop the steal” protest in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A child was affected by the tear gas deployed by law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A man mounted a horse statue in front of the U.S. Capitol while holding a Confederate flag in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol for a “stop the steal” protest in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-Trump demonstrators scaled the media tower set up for Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-Trump demonstrator scaled the media tower set up for Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A demonstrator was seen carrying a Capitol Police riot shield, though it’s unclear where or how they obtained it. Another demonstrator slashed all four tires on two government SUV’s parked outside the Capitol building.
A protester somehow obtained a Capitol Police riot shield near the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A demonstrator slashed the tires on law enforcement vehicles in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
After the crowd was repeatedly sprayed with a white powder-like chemical agent for attempting to enter the Capitol building through a side door, law enforcement reinforcements from the National Guard arrived and pushed the police line back. Shortly after, demonstrators overran a small space occupied by media outlets and destroyed their camera, audio and lighting gear.
A chemical agent was deployed against rioters attempting to enter the Capitol building from a side door in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Demonstrators smashed media gear on the Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A sign calling Pelosi satan and an American flag were draped over a government vehicle in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a 6 p.m. curfew for the district. Law enforcement officials formed a police line and pushed everyone off of the Capitol grounds around that time, and most of the crowd dispersed.
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