One of the rioters who participated in the siege was carrying 11 Molotov cocktails and an assault rifle, prosecutors said, while others were armed with metal pipes, zip-tie handcuffs, pepper spray, and more objects used to attack law enforcement and get into the building.
Insurrectionists were seen roaming the halls of Congress with Confederate flags and banging on doors as frightened lawmakers, Capitol Hill staffers, and reporters hid under desks and behind makeshift barricades. An armed standoff took place at the entrance to the House chamber, and a woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as Trump supporters broke through and made it onto the House floor. The Senate chamber was similarly breached.
Outside the building, the president’s acolytes set up gallows with a noose, and one photojournalist said he overheard three rioters saying they wanted to hang Pence “from a Capitol Hill tree,” while others debated more ways to execute the vice president.
Additional footage and media reports that have come out since the riot indicated that some of the insurrectionists were active law-enforcement officers and former military members with tactical training.
Trump watched the hourslong siege play out on television from his perch at the White House. He issued a tepid call on Twitter for his followers to “stay peaceful” and “go home” before praising them for being “very special” and repeating the same lies that incited the mob in the first place.