Smoke grenades deployed on Senate side of US Capitol to disperse rioters
Jan 06, 2021
Washington [US], January 7 : Amid a violent situation unfolded in Washington as supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the US Capitol to protest the certification of Electoral College vote, smoke grenades have been deployed on the Senate side of the building, while the Capitol police are working to clear the rioters from the area.
Windows on the west side of the Senate have been broken, and hundreds of officers are amassing on the first floor of the building. CNN reporters working in the US Senate have been told by the Capitol Police that they are being evacuated from the Senate to an undisclosed location.
The Capitol Police also say the Senate won't be in session in the Capitol building today or anytime soon, saying the building was "trashed."
"These rioters have clearly ... breached all elements of this building. You're seeing debris, trash, all in the elevators, things knocked down, posts knocked down, and this is clearly a sign of how they are gone into all parts of this building," reported CNN.
Later, US Senate floor was cleared of rioters, and an officer said that they have successfully squeezed rioters away from the Senate wing of the building and towards the Rotunda, and are removing them out the East and West doors of the Capitol.
Meanwhile, smaller protests at Capitol buildings across the US have popped up, including in Salem, Oregon, Atlanta, Denver, and Topeka, where President Trump's supporters gathered, reported CNN.
The chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police, reported The hill.
Rioters overpowered police and broke into the Capitol to protest as a joint session of Congress convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win.
The development comes as scores of Republicans had pledged to challenge the Electoral College's vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday.
