In an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol, protesters supporting President Donald Trump rushed the stairs of the building and smashed windows as they pushed their way inside.
In a massive security breach, the protesters, waving blue Trump flags, breached the Senate chamber, making their way inside as senators were rushed from the room by U.S. Capitol Police.
They were heard banging on the doors of the House chamber and yelling outside as police officers rushed lawmakers out of the chamber and to safety.
There were reports of gun shots outside of the House as an armed stand off took place at the doors of the chamber.
'We've been given gas masks on the House floor. Tear gas has been used in the Rotunda,' wrote Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly on twitter.
Vice President Mike Pence, presiding in the Senate, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, presiding in the House, were removed from their respective chambers at the first hint of the breach for their own safety.
The protesters filled the rotunda, which sets below the dome of the Capitol and is filled with paintings depicting important scenes in the founding of the nation. They also were seen marching through Statuary Hall, the room off the House chamber that is filled with statues of the nation's founders and used for special ceremonies.
In the crypt of the Capitol, where George Washington was originally supposed to be buried, police and protesters clashed, fighting it out.
'We now have individuals that have breached the Capitol building. They are in the Rotunda area,' Capitol police said.
Trump urged his supporters to stay peaceful, in a tweet that came after they had breached the building. At a rally earlier that morning, he had encouraged them to march on the Capitol, where lawmakers were certifying the electoral college vote for Joe Biden.
'Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!,' the president wrote.
But he did not tell them to leave.
U.S. Capitol Police used tear gas as hundreds of people were seen climbing the marble steps outside the building. They banged on the locked doors of the Capitol and smashed the glass in the doors.
An army of Donald Trump's supporters stormed Congress Wednesday after he told them to march on the Capitol – with Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi and lawmakers rushed to safety as thousands threatened to break through police barricades
Members of congress ran from the floor as police ordered them to evacuate to their offices for their own safety after a mob smashed through police barricades
The storming brought the certification of Joe Biden's victory to a halt – after Pence said he would defy Trump and refuse to overturn the election single-handed
Supporters of Donald Trump are seen inside the US Capitol after rioters breached security and entered the Capitol
Protesters gesture to U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol
A rioter holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol after storming the building
Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress
Images emerged shortly before of hundreds of protesters descending on the steps of the Capitol after rallying near the White House for President Donald Trump
A Capitol Police officer urged lawmakers to leave the building after top leaders were escorted out
Vice President Mike Pence has refused to follow Donald Trump's demand to overturn the electoral college results and certify Joe Biden's election victory
President Donald Trump threatened Vice President Mike Pence telling him to overturn the general election results shortly before Congress s was to begin counting the electoral votes that will make Joe Biden the next president
Pence acknowledged Trump's allegations the election was rigged, which there has been no proof and no court has upheld, in a likely peace offering to the president
Mike Pence publicly DEFIES Trump's demand to block Joe Biden's confirmation | Daily Mail Online