Inside the Jan. 6 Capitol riot: Part 1 of 2

Summary

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Consider This from NPR

Episode: Inside the Jan. 6 Capitol riot: Part 1 of 2
Air Date: January 4, 2026
Host: Scott Detrow
Correspondent: Tom Dreisbach
Notable Voices: Jason Riddle (Capitol Riot Participant), Peter Welch (Congressman), Daniel Hodges & Michael Fanone (DC Police Officers), Donald Trump (then-President)

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the firsthand experiences of police officers, members of Congress, Trump supporters, and journalists during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Drawing from years of NPR investigations, body cam footage, interviews, and court evidence, the show scrutinizes what really unfolded during those chaotic hours, shedding light on the brutality, confusion, and motivations that drove the day. It further examines efforts, particularly by the Trump administration, to rewrite or erase this chapter from American history.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Immediate Chaos: Inside the Capitol (00:09 – 02:14)

• Audio from police on the ground reveals the terror and violence officers faced as mobs broke through barriers and physically assaulted them.
• Officers, overwhelmed and injured, retreated indoors, indicating their fear for their lives.
  • Memorable moment: Officer: “We are not losing the U.S. capitol today. You hear me?” (01:38)

“Rewriting” the Narrative (02:14 – 04:12)

• Tom Dreisbach explains how Trump, after returning to office, issued pardons to nearly all rioters and removed those prosecuting January 6th cases.
• Efforts were also made to disappear public evidence and records—NPR fought in court to keep them.
  • Quote: “[Trump] pardoned nearly every single rioter, even the ones who beat cops. He said they were the real victims.” (03:49, Tom Dreisbach)

The Backdrop to Insurrection: 2020 in Review (05:49 – 09:53)

• The episode recaps 2020’s isolation, COVID-19's devastation, economic malaise, and George Floyd's murder, setting a tense stage.
• Extremist groups mobilized amid political and social turmoil.
• Trump stoked election fraud claims long before evidence could be assessed:
  • Trump quote: “The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.” (07:00)
• The "Big Lie" of a stolen election is shown as premeditated groundwork for January 6th.

The Imminent Threat: Calls to Action & Organization (09:53 – 13:29)

• Testimonies from Trump supporters like Jason Riddle (“It became my identity…”) reveal intense personal devotion fueling the crowd.
• Congressman Peter Welch recalls a seemingly peaceful protest that morning, but notes the identification of organized groups—specifically the Proud Boys.
  • Welch: “There were people who were marching in formation. It was organized and up disciplined our streets.” (13:17)
• Behind the scenes, far-right groups had been secretly preparing for violence and occupation.

The Breach Begins: Overwhelmed Security (15:03 – 18:49)

• Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges describes early warning signs: protesters arriving in tactical gear.
• The Proud Boys scouted entrances; Peace Circle, guarded only by bike racks and a few officers, became the first major breach point.
  • Live audio: “We have a breach on the west front. First street breach. Multiple units. Send all you have.” (19:12)
• Concurrent crises (pipe bombs, armed vehicles) drew police resources away, exacerbating the collapse.

Congress in Peril (20:23 – 28:59)

• As the certification process began, Pence refused to overturn election results. Trump, in his speech, stoked outrage:
  • Trump: “We Fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.” (20:42)
• The crowd collided with police, and rioters stormed the building. Riddle describes chaotic scenes inside: “It was basically like a bunch of frat kids ransacking the place.” (25:55)
• On the House floor, Congressmen hid, police barricaded doors, and shots were fired at a rioter, Ashley Babbitt, killing her.
  • Welch: “Even as I was hearing the glass break, even as I heard the shot going off… I didn’t believe it was happening.” (28:59)

Relentless Violence: Officers’ Ordeals (30:08 – 36:02)

• Michael Fanone, a plainclothes officer, and Daniel Hodges recount life-threatening assaults, lack of preparation, and overwhelming odds.
  • Fanone: “You know, we're outnumbered fucking, like, seven to one… going in and trying to affect an arrest at that point is not going to de-escalate the situation…” (31:35)
  • Hodges: “I tried bracing myself… the momentum had shifted, and I was getting pinned… and I was afraid that I might, you know, lose consciousness or be killed there.” (33:33)
• Both officers describe the tunnel fight as “medieval” (32:33), with body cam footage showing the chaos and violence.

The Aftermath: Clearing the Capitol and Lingering Trauma (36:02 – 42:21)

• Backup eventually arrives; rioters are cleared.
• Trump releases a video encouraging his supporters to go home, but simultaneously expresses love and support for them.
  • Trump: “So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens…” (38:51)
• Officers and Congress regroup. Congress resumes the vote; police tend to injuries.
• Fanone is hospitalized, but recounts that the trauma—psychological and physical—never ends.
  • Fanone: “What was traumatic was everything that happened afterwards. There's no end. Like we're still living in the midst of my fucking trauma.” (42:06)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We are not losing the U.S. capitol today. You hear me?” (01:38, Unnamed Officer)
• Tom Dreisbach on rewritten history: “Trump pardoned nearly every single rioter, even the ones who beat cops. He said they were the real victims.” (03:49)
• Jason Riddle on identity: “Being a Trump supporter is all about the reaction from everyone else, so that's the best part.” (10:33)
• Peter Welch on disbelief: “Even as I was hearing the glass break… I didn't believe it was happening. I was thinking, Peter, this is not happening.” (28:59)
• Officer Hodges' fear in the tunnel: “I was afraid that I might, you know, lose consciousness or be killed there.” (33:33)
• Trump to supporters after riot: “Go home. We love you. You’re very special… Remember this day forever.” (38:51, 39:49)
• Fanone on ongoing trauma: “There's no end. Like we're still living in the midst of my fucking trauma.” (42:06)

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Timeline of Critical Scenes

• 00:09 – 02:14: Body cam audio and police retreat.
• 02:58 – 03:56: NPR explains how the events are being actively rewritten.
• 05:49 – 09:53: The context of 2020—COVID, George Floyd, rise of extremism.
• 13:17 – 13:32: Peter Welch notices organized Proud Boys.
• 18:49 – 19:18: Peace Circle breach, police radio for help.
• 20:42 – 20:48: Pence’s refusal, Trump stokes fury.
• 27:13 – 28:59: Congress under siege, shooting of Ashley Babbitt.
• 32:33 – 34:50: Officers’ battle in the tunnel described as “medieval.”
• 38:51 – 39:49: Trump’s video to supporters, crowd reactions.
• 40:24 – 40:40: Congress resumes, democracy “won the day.”
• 42:06 – 42:21: Officer Fanone reflects on ongoing trauma.

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Conclusion

This episode is a raw, unvarnished account of one of the most traumatic days in recent American history. It painstakingly stages the riot from multiple perspectives—officer, rioter, congressman. The episode explores the roots of the violence and the continuing fallout, both in the personal traumas of those involved and in the wider political efforts to control the historical record.

Next episode: The podcast will continue with the story of the Justice Department’s investigation and the subsequent efforts to rewrite the history of January 6th.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

A warning. This podcast includes explicit language depictions of violence and reference to suicide.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Let's fucking go. Inside now. Inside.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

It's around 2:30pm on January 6, 2021. Dozens of police officers are surrounded by a violent mob. Thousands more behind them. They need to retreat. Inside now. Some are bleeding from the fighting outside. A collapsed just trying to climb a flight of stairs.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Go. Get up. I got you. Capitol. Lock these doors. Let's go. Everybody inside.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

They get inside behind a couple glass doors in a police line. Alarms are blaring, but they have a moment to breathe. Some cops are on the floor of a hallway. One holds up his bloody finger.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

I want to get a wrapped up. I need fucking help.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

Several have this dazed look, a thousand yard stare. Others can barely keep their eyes open. This cop has been hit with pepper spray or maybe bear spray, which is even worse.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

Other officers pour bottles of water over.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

His eyes, trying to calm him down. Many of them will later say they are worried they're about to be killed. But they do not have time to rest. The mob has assembled just outside those two glass doors and they're pounding them. One officer says if they breach those doors, it's all over.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We are not losing the U.S. capitol today. You hear me?

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

Body cams are rolling. Rioters keep hitting the doors. What's happening will be evidence later.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

He's got a weapon in his hand. Okay.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

But now.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Glass shatters up front.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

The mob has breached the doors.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Hold the line. Hold the line. Hold the line. Do not it. Hold the line.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

Consider this what really unfolded five years ago on January 6, and how has the Trump administration tried to erase the evidence from that day and rewrite the history of what happened? From npr. Hi, I'm scott detrow. It's consider this from NPR. For five years, correspondent Tom Dreisbach and NPR's investigations team tracked every single case, reviewed thousands of videos submitted in court, talked to police officers, investigators, members of Congress and even rioters. Here's their story.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

You might think you already know what happened on January 6, 2021. The riot of Trump supporters took place on live TV. Then there was Trump's impeachment hearings in Congress. But if that was all you saw, you only caught the beginning of the story. A small snapshot that did not show just how extreme and vicious the violence was. In the end, prosecutors brought charges against more than 1500 people. It took years for evidence to come out. And so right now, we actually know so more about that day than ever before. And at exactly the same time, the Trump administration is actively trying to rewrite that history.

[Donald Trump]

So this is January 6th. These are the hostages. Approximately 1500 for a pardon, Full pardon.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Trump pardoned nearly every single rioter, even the ones who beat cops. He said they were the real victims.

[Donald Trump]

I pardoned J6 people who were assaulted by our government. That's who assaulted.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

And his administration purged the government of prosecutors who worked on January 6th.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Meanwhile, the US Justice Department fired at.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

Least three federal prosecutors who worked on.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Cases against January 6th riot defenders. They even began to disappear public information about that day. NPR and other media organizations had to go to court to make sure video evidence was preserved. And we are still fighting for all of it. And on today's show, we will tell you how the evidence we've gathered and preserved contradicts everything Trump now says about the riot. We'll tell you just how brutal it was. The violence was so severe it ended police officers careers, left them with lifelong injuries. Two took their own lives in the days after and their deaths were classified as in the line of duty. We'll explain why the police were so overwhelmed. Why did they make so few arrests? And was the riot spontaneous or was it a planned attack? Everything you'll hear today will come from evidence presented in court or interviews with people who were there. A rioter who ended up chugging wine inside a Capitol office. A congressman who unknowingly witnessed the beginning of a seditious conspiracy, and a cop on what was going through his mind as rioters said they backed the blue and knocked him unconscious. Then in our next episode, we'll take you inside the FBI interrogation rooms as prosecutors tried to create a definitive of history and a new administration sought to erase it. To understand how we got to January 6, you have to remember how things felt the whole year before. Because it was a year overwhelmed by illness, isolation, anger and violence where the stakes of everyday decisions could be life or death.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

The outbreak spreading across the U.S. first.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

There was Covid more than 1300 new.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

Cases in just the last 24 hours.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

This mysterious new illness was killing people all around the country. Millions lost their jobs or were locked down at home.

[Donald Trump]

Nearly 3.3 million filing unemployment claims in one week.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

That isolation sent a lot of people deeper into rabbit holes like QAnon. Then, in the shocking case of an.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Unarmed African American man who died after.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Being police murdered George Floyd, leading to some of the largest protests in American history.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Still, thousands of people have been marching to show solidarity with the demonstration of the United States.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Some cities saw riots and looting. Far right extremist groups mobilized and at one Point, Trump was asked if he would condemn one of those groups, the violent street gang known as the Proud Boys.

[Donald Trump]

Stand back and stand by.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

After Trump said that, the Proud Boys suddenly had thousands of people asking them to join, and now they said they were standing by for Trump's orders. By now, you've probably remembered one other thing that happened that year which I have not mentioned, the presidential election.

[Donald Trump]

The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Later on election night, 2020, before millions of votes were even counted, frankly, we.

[Donald Trump]

Did win this election.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Trump claimed victory. In reality, he had lost. And a few days later, Joe Biden was declared President elect, backed by the courts and election officials across the country. Trump refused to concede.

[Donald Trump]

If we don't root out the fraud, the tremendous and horrible fraud that's taken place in our 2020 election, we don't have a country anymore.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Several members of the Trump team admitted privately that the election was not stolen. But others wanted to fight, even talked about violence. When the government's head of cybersecurity said the election was safe and secure, one of Trump's lawyers, a man named Joe diGenova, said, he should be killed.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

That guy is a class A moron. He should be drawn and quartered, taken out at dawn, and shot.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

DiGenova later claimed he was joking in court. The Trump team lost dozens of cases, but they had one last plan for the day Congress was supposed to certify the election. Trump posted on Twitter about January 6.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

That he expects there to be a massive protest here in Washington on that date, saying be there will be wild. We know just.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Pro Trump activists mobilized.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Do whatever you have to do to get to Washington, D.C. on January 6th. January 6th. Trump needs you.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

And after a year of death and disruption from COVID violence in the streets and conspiracies in the air, a lot of people packed up body armor and weapons.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

All right, guys, getting my loadout bag.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

Got the carbon fiber knuckles, matching hatchets.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

And a little bit of excitement just in case somebody needs some attention.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

There was not just one single motivation behind why people came to D.C. for January 6th. Organized extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys said it was time to use force to keep Trump in power. They said it was like a second American Revolution. Other extremists came, too. Followers of QAnon, white nationalists. And then there were the people who just loved Trump.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

When Trump asked people to come down January 6th to protest, we didn't even talk about it. We knew we were going.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Jason Riddle had been a Trump supporter for years, ever since the first Trump campaign. And his path to D.C. on January 6th was like a lot of other Trump fans. And Riddle's story shows how that love of Trump went way beyond politics. It was much deeper than that. It was about who they were.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

It became my identity. I wore Trump wigs and costumes. Sometimes for no reason. I'd put the crap on and go bar hopping, and it got me attention.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

He especially loved the rallies. Says he's probably been to 15.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

It's a Pep rally combined with a circus. Once Trump gets there, he just. There's always the I love you, too. You get a moment of silence and you yell out I love you at him. He will yell I love you too back. I remember being so excited. There was that one moment, I love you, and I love you, too. And then he goes back to his speech. He's a showman. He knows, and he gives it back. He gives that obsession back.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

And Riddle says there was another side of the rallies. He loved the drama.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

There was always the protesters mad at you, and there was always this passion, and it was. It was fun. Being a Trump supporter is all about the reaction from everyone else, so that's the best part.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

But Riddle's personal life was a mess. He had a career in the Navy and Army Reserves that fell apart, had trouble keeping jobs. He was drinking too much. By the end of 2020, he was living in New Hampshire. He'd been working for the Postal Service, delivering mail. He'd spend every day on the phone talking about Trump and politics with a friend.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

I lasted a year at the post office and drunkenly quit. I was drinking while working. I was drinking in the morning. I just abandoned the full of mail.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

That was the end of December 2020. He was jobless and drunk, but supporting Trump still gave him a sense of purpose and something to look forward to. The next Trump rally on January 6th. So he hit the road to D.C.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

Every gas station, there were red hats because there's people from all over the country going. And I remember one gas station, the guy saw my hat, and he's like, you're going, yeah. He's like, it's gonna be. It's gonna be crazy. And it was just like, he looks aggressive and just like, all right.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

I mean, it was a beautiful day. I'd gotten there the night before, so I was up early, and I decided to take a walk, and I was kind of enjoying the spectacle.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Peter Welch is about the least aggressive looking person you can find. He's in his 70s, from New England, wears glasses. And early in the morning on January 6th, after getting to D.C. he just started talking to people while walking around. This was before all the speeches. There were lots of signs, some chanting, but at first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

I had conversations with people. How's it going? What do you think? And, you know, they thought the election was stolen, but I didn't get a sense of hostility. And on some occasions, they'd ask me who I was, and I would tell.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Them, you see, Welch was not a Trump supporter. He was a member of Congress representing Vermont, a Democrat. And what would they say?

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

Well, they'd be interested in it, but, you know, they had identified who their adversaries were. And it was Mike Pence, obviously, and it was Nancy Pelosi. She, to them, personified the evil empire.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Welch says he was not remotely worried about safety at the Capitol that day. He'd been in Congress for more than a decade. He was used to protests, and he thought of the Capitol as safer than Fort Knox. And he says the electoral certification is a really special experience. There's not much to do but just witness history. He just did not know what kind of history was being written that day. As he made a loop around the Mall and headed back towards the Capitol, he noticed this big group of people led by a guy dressed in black with a bullhorn.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

There were people who were marching in formation. It was organized and up disciplined our streets.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Our streets.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

So that made me anxious a little bit.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

What Welch did not realize was that this group was the Proud Boys. They were intentionally not wearing their typical black and yellow outfits. And after Trump announced the protest, they started secretly planning for this day. Their leader even shared a document that involved occupying government buildings. And now they were starting to execute their plans in plain sight.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Let's fucking march to this fucking city. This our goddamn city, and be loud and proud, boy.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

Proud.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

At the time, Welch did not know any of that. He went on to work at the Capitol, a little anxious, but still pretty sure that the day would go smoothly. And so he did not hear how the Proud Boys conspiracy to stop the certification of the election was unfolding on the National Mall. Let's take the Capitol. One of them yelled.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Come on, tighten up. Let's not yell that, all right?

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Someone with the group said quietly, don't yell it.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

Yell it.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Do it, do it.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Unit 7, do you have cameras on? I guess the group, the Proud Voice, coming up from the Mall area towards the Capitol.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

The Capitol Police saw the group of Proud Boys marching before Trump had even started speaking. But like Welch, the police did not know what the proud boys had in mind. Neither did Daniel Hodges. He was with the D.C. police Department, the Civil Disturbance Unit. His whole job is to respond to big protests, and he'd been out on the streets since 7 that morning.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

I was personally standing out in front of the IRS building. And, yeah, I thought the worst part of that day for me was gonna be all the taxation as theft jokes.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

His bosses in the police department had not really prepared him for serious violence. But Hodges started to see signs that something more might be coming.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

People dressed for the cold and dressed for the rally. But you'd also get people wearing helmets, earpieces, goggles, backpacks full of who knows what, look like they're ready for something other than a rally.

[Donald Trump]

Media will not show the magnitude of this crowd.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Trump started his speech near the White House at about noon. He told the crowd that the stakes could not be higher. Depending on what happened inside the Capitol that day, they would either save democracy or the country would be destroyed. And it all came down to the Vice President, Mike Pence.

[Donald Trump]

And I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so. Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Before Trump started speaking, White House staff told him that people in the crowd had weapons. That's according to testimony to Congress. Trump still told the crowd they should march to the Capitol. He said he would join them.

[Donald Trump]

We're going to walk down to the Capitol and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

And a moment later, Trump added, I.

[Donald Trump]

Know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol Building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Around this time, Jason Riddle got an Uber from his hotel to the Washington Monument. And when he got out, he couldn't even see Trump. There were too many people. But the sound of Trump's voice was echoing all across the Mall.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

The feeling was very spiritual. It was something. Yeah, I'll never feel again. And it was the biggest amount of Trump supporters you ever saw in your life. And then also, I think there's also this. All that frustration from the COVID lockdowns was just. It was first time getting that many people together, probably since COVID He felt.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Like this was something bigger than himself. Before Trump even finished his speech, people started heading toward the Capitol building.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

We're all marching on the Capitol.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

Trump said he was joining us, too.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

We Got patriots as far as I can see. Riddle decided to follow those crowds. When I first started covering January 6th five years ago, one of the biggest mysteries involved the Capitol police. Ever since 9 11, the government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on security. So how could security at the Capitol have been so overwhelmed? Part of the answer to that involves the most consequential 25 minutes of the whole day, when it seemed like everything was happening all at once. And a lot of it happened at a place called, of all things, Peace Circle.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We want Trump. We want Trump.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

We want.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

While Trump was still giving his speech and Trump supporters like Riddle were walking, that big group of proud boys had marched around the Capitol building. They scoped out different entrances and. And they ended up by Peace Circle. It's a monument to sailors who died in the Civil War. The proud boys bullhorn attracted a bigger and bigger crowd. Just a few Capitol Police officers were there, standing behind temporary fencing, these metal bike racks. Behind them was a straight path right to the Capitol building.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Usa. Usa. Usa.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

People got angrier and angrier, yelling at the cops. And then a few people went from words to action. They started to lift the fencing up, pushed it back, and knocked the cops over. Fuck them. Storm the Capitol. One proud boy yelled. Rioters started throwing punches.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We have a breach on the west front. First street breach. Multiple units. Send all you have.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

The protest had just turned violent. The police were in full retreat. The collapse of the outer perimeter was shocking for how rapid and violent it was at the time, it seemed unclear why the Capitol Police were so overwhelmed. But we later got more pieces of the puzzle. Right at the time of the fight at Peace Circle and the breach of Capitol grounds, the police were scrambling to deal with multiple serious incidents all at once. First, cops found a pipe bomb by the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. Then they found a Trump supporter's truck loaded up with guns and 11 mason jars filled with gasoline Molotov cocktails. And then they found another pipe bomb, this time by the Democratic National Committee.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We need to make sure that officers are posted.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

So Capitol Police were trying to manage multiple crises all at the same time. And then while all of this was happening, Madam speaker, members of Congress, pursuant.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

To the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Inside the Capitol, within minutes of all these events, Vice President Pence was starting the certification process. And he announced in a letter that he would not follow Trump's plan. He would not overturn the election results. Pence's announcement came out just before Trump was ending his speech.

[Donald Trump]

And we fight. We Fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

As people in the crowd heard about Pence's announcement, they were outraged. And now Trump was sending them to the Capitol.

[Donald Trump]

So let's walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I want to thank you all. God bless you and God, God bless America. Thank you all for being here. Trump's speech is over.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

It was awesome.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Some of you may have seen it online.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

It went over all the voter fraud, the big group that had breached through Peace Circle and was fighting with police. They were about to get a lot more backup from people who were furious about Pence's announcement. Anyways, we're walking over to the Capitol.

[Donald Trump]

Right now, and I don't know, maybe.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

We'Ll break down the doors. Jason Riddle got to the Capitol along with the rest of the angry crowds.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

And I kept thinking about war movies.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Like, what movies?

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

I thought of Saving Private Ryan. There was this guy up in the scaffolding with a megaphone, and he was going, don't stop.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Keep moving forward. Don't stop.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Push forward.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Push forward.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

He looked at the windows and the people inside.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

But I remember standing back and seeing the politicians looking down, taking pictures with their phones and thinking, good. And I was happy about it.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

You were happy about them seeing, like.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

Being afraid of people. Like, here's a common man. Here we are.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Daniel Hodges, the D.C. police officer, was called to respond to the chaos and try to help the Capitol Police, who were stretched to a breaking point early in the day. Protesters were telling him, thank you for your service. Not anymore. What he saw was the crowd embracing violence. They said it was the right thing to do.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

What's going on here, boys?

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

His body cam shows people calling him and the other officers officers, traders, stormtroopers, Nazis. While just trying to walk through the crowds, he was punched and kicked and knocked to the ground. People tried to steal his baton.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

This is the Metropolitan Police Department. This area is now a restricted access area pursuant to D.C. official Code. All people must leave the area immediately. They are to comply with this order may subject you to arrest and may subject you to the use of a riot control agent or impact weapon.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

At this point, I was hopeful that they would be satisfied with the ground they had taken because they were already breaking the law by being where they are. And I was hopeful that would be enough.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

The police escalated with pepper spray and tear gas. Riddle was in the crowd, and he says it backfired.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

The feeling was they were throwing tear gas grenades at us. And part of my thinking of, oh, they're escalating. Now we're allowed to escalate.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Rioters had sprays, too. Pepper sprays, bear sprays, and other weapons.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

The subjects with the gas pants and the American black turf. He's assaulting an officer down.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

At the same time, rioters were battling police on one side of the Capitol. On the other side, it was mostly peaceful, but then people in the crowd started coordinating.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

They're so overwhelmed with 2 million people on the other side. That's why they're understaffed over here. Now's the time. Now's the time.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Rioters started overwhelming police lines all over. And then back in the mob where Jason Riddle and Daniel Hodges were.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

A.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Group of proud boys made a breakthrough. They reached the Capitol building. Rioters started smashing windows. Capitol police jumped on their radios.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Okay, the Capitol's been breached.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Now. A mob was inside. They were hunting for Pence while Secret Service scrambled to evacuate.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

If we lose any more time, we may lose the ability to leave. So if we're going to leave, we need to do it now. Don't get scared.

[Donald Trump]

Go arrest the vice president. That's the first arrest.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Clear.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We're coming out now. All right, make a way.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

At almost the exact moment as Pence was being evacuated, Trump posted on Twitter. He said this on Twitter. Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution. Giving states a chance to certify. USA demands the truth.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

If Pence cave, we're gonna drag motherfuckers through the streets because this is the second fucking revolution. We're gonna drag your fucking ass through the street.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Some protesters seemed to know they were breaking the law. And that was exciting.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Can you hear me, honey? Yeah. Okay. I love you. And somebody has money to bail me out if I survive.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

And then it was just ransacking. It was basically like a bunch of frat kids ransacking the place.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Riddle says the whole thing felt like a joke. He didn't hit any cops himself, but he admits he laughed watching it happen. At one point, he went into an office and found a bottle of wine in someone's mini fridge.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

In the room I was in, I was drinking wine. There was a girl who had her feet up on the desk and she was playing with the phone and people were laughing. And there was. The bottle of wine got passed around.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

The proud boy who was the first to break into the building celebrated with a cigarette.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Victory. Smoking the Capitol boys. This is awesome. I knew we could take this motherfucker over Just try hard enough. Proud of you, motherfucking boy. Time to smoke weed in here.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

In other parts of the capital, people started to party.

[Donald Trump]

Feels like a lot of weed in here. Everyone's smoking weed. Oh, we're smoking weed in the.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Yeah, yeah. This the party room.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Peter Welch, the congressman, was inside the House chamber. And at first, he had no idea that anything was wrong.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

And then one of the Capitol Police officers came onto the floor and silenced us and said, the building has been breached. Capitol Police just announced that there was a breach. Somebody or some people got into the building past security.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Welch posted that video online. And then the police told him and the others in the chamber to lie down in case shooting started. Cops grabbed furniture to barricade the main door. And as rioters broke through the glass, the police drew their guns.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We gotta hang a bunch of crooked congressmen. We'll do that.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

And I think the worst fears that all of us had is that this could be a mass shooting event.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

While Peter Welch was watching that entrance, rioters were trying to get into the House chamber and to get to him and other members of Congress through another ray.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Hey, he's got a gun. He's got a gun.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

A woman named Ashley Babbitt tried to climb through a door where the glass had been busted out into a place called the Speaker's lobby. For Welch and the other members of Congress, that was their escape route.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

That sounds like a gunshot, and then.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

You know, the gunshot goes off.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Where is she hit? Where's she hit?

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

Shot fired.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

House four. Shot. Fire. Fire. House floor. Immediate assistance.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Capitol police officer shot Babbitt in the shoulder, and she later died inside the House chamber. Welch waited for more gunshots, but they didn't come. Eventually, a Capitol Police SWAT team held back the group of rioters at rifle point, one of the only times that happened during that day. And the members of Congress had a way out. When Welch remembers these moments now, the thing that he says is most vivid is this really strange feeling.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

Even as I was hearing the glass break, even as I heard the shot going off, even as I was being told by the police to put on the gas mask, I didn't believe it was happening. I didn't believe it was happening. I was thinking, peter, this is not happening. And I realized the reason that I thought that is that I couldn't believe it could happen in the United States.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Jason Riddle, the rioter kept drinking. A cop told him to chug his wine and yelled at him to leave. Outside the building, a guy came up.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

To him, and he told Me, someone got shot. And he's like. I'm like, no one got shot. It's a party in there. He's like, no. I saw a woman come out with an ambulance, and they had a bandage around her neck. They shot her in the neck. She's dead. And that's when it stopped being funny. I became afraid.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Then Riddle just started running away from the Capitol as fast as he could.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

They killed this girl. They killed a girl.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

When Michael Fanone got to the Capitol building, he could still see Ashley Babbitt's blood on the ground on the path where emergency responders had taken her. He'd been a cop for decades, but he did not do crowd control or protests. That day, he was supposed to be undercover, plain clothes, working on a heroin bust.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We have another 1033 inside the Capitol.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

1033 is our distress call. Officer needs assistance. Which essentially is if you're an officer, you drop what the fuck you're doing and you go and respond.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Bond Fanone and his partner Jimmy Albright met up to go to the Capitol together. And he was not used to putting on the full riot gear.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

And as somebody whose vanity prevented them from bringing a gas mask to this fucking event.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Yeah, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Was your vanity that you didn't.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

Oh, 100%, yeah.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

What do you mean, you thought you were too tough for a gas mask or.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

I was just like, well, you're already carrying, like, all this crap.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

I'm not wearing one more.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

I didn't even want to wear the helmet. Like, that's how vain I am. Like, I didn't want to wear the helmet. So Jimmy was like, bring the fucking helmet. And I was like, all right, I'll bring the helmet.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

When he got inside the Capitol, he saw rioters everywhere. And he says it's not just that arresting all those people was impossible. He says it might have also made a bad situation worse.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

You know, we're outnumbered fucking, like, seven to one. I mean, there's no way that you could. Like, going in and trying to affect an arrest at that point is not going to de escalate the situation. It's going to escalate it. Not to mention the fact that even if we did arrest them, where the hell are you going to take them? Because we don't have any transport vehicles.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

A few minutes later, Fanon got word that a group of police needed help at the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

He started heading that way, and it was just. It's just not a scene that I had ever experienced in 20 years. Of inner city policing. And, you know, I work narcotics. I've seen a few things. As you're walking down, there are adjacent hallways, and they were filled with injured officers, you know, guys who, under normal circumstances, would have been transported to the hospital.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

By this point, the police had lost ground again and again. They were beaten down, but they decided they would hold on here in this tunnel. On the other side were thousands more demonstrators. You may have heard about this fight in the tunnel. It was the scene of the most intense violence at any Point on January 6th. Officers described it as medieval. The tunnel is not very wide. People were packed so tightly that body cam footage often shows just bodies on top of one another.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

I mean, you know, a couple dozen of us versus 10,000 of them trying to force their way in.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Daniel hodges had already been defending against the rioters for more than an hour, and after the police line outside collapsed, he had to retreat inside. When fanon arrived, Hodges was just up ahead in the scrum of officers protecting the tunnel.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

As people fall back, I move up until I'm at the front of the formation and trying to keep him out.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

I'm not hurting. You keep pain.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

I tried bracing myself against a metal door frame so that I would have something hard to push off of. Unfortunately, once I had done that, the momentum. Momentum had shifted, and I was getting pinned against the metal door frame, and I was. I was getting crushed like that. And someone grabbed the front of my gas mask and, you know, pushed it back and forth, Essentially punching me in the face and the mouth a few times, and ripped my rabaton away from me. And he beat me in the head with. Was just completely overwhelming. And I could, you know, feel getting weaker and weaker, and I was afraid that I might, you know, lose consciousness or be killed there.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

You were afraid you could be killed?

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

Yeah. I mean, I was unable to help myself. I did the only thing I could do at that point. I started calling for help. Thankfully, the officers behind me heard me, and they were able to take enough pressure off my side to pull me out and get me back to the rear.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

A cop poured water over hodges face to try to wash away the gas, pepper spray, and blood.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Great job, hodges. Good job.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

All right.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Good job.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Michael fanone saw hodges being pulled back, Patted him on the shoulder, and took his place.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Get some fresh guys up front. Let's get some fresh guys up front. Come on. Who needs a break?

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

And I remember trying to, like, appeal to them and say. I said, like, we have these. We have injured officers here.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We have injured people.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

And like, it just seemed to set these guys off. And immediately after that, it's like all hell broke loose. And we start into the melee.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Come on, mpd. Put the box.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

You're literally living, like, second by second in that moment. And it's just, you know, I was just fully focused on doing everything that I could do to get these guys the hell out of my way.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Fanon and the cops behind him started to get some momentum pushing back the rioters, but the momentum pushed Fanon, too. And then a rider named Albuquerque Head put his arms around Fanon's neck, and.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

He yelled, I got one.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

He says, I got one. I got one. And that's when I was just like, it's just a sea of people and flags and, I mean, just the most surreal, you know, optic imaginable. And on top of that, you know, I'm trying to take that in and also fight to stay alive. You know, when I'm out in this crowd, like, I'm being assaulted from every direction. So I'm trying to, like, keep people away from my weapon. People are yelling, like, kill him with his gun.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

One man took an electroshock weapon and drove it into Fanon's neck. Twice, A handful of people tried to stop the assaults.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

And that's when, like, my recollection goes from so vivid to, like, nothing.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Fanon collapsed face first. Officers dragged him back behind the police line, then picked him up by the arms and legs.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

We have got it. We need your peace now. I got it. My partner.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Mike.

[Donald Trump]

Stay in there, buddy.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Mike, it's Jimmy. I'm here. Mike. Mike, I'm here for you, buddy. Come on, dude.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

Talk to me.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Mike. Come on, Mike. Come on, buddy. We're going duck hunting soon.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Suddenly, his eyes opened.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Take that door back.

[Jason Riddle (Trump Supporter)]

Yeah, we did.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Do you even remember saying that?

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

No, but, I mean, it's like, in character. I mean, shit, I guess, like, subconsciously, I was thinking if I just went through all of that and we lost the goddamn door.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Fuck. The fight continued for more than an hour, but they held the line.

[Donald Trump]

I know your pain. I know you're hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

At 4:17pm Trump tweeted this video.

[Donald Trump]

But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

It's less than two minutes long and directed to his supporters who had breached the Capitol.

[Donald Trump]

So go home. We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home. And go home in peace.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

At the Capitol, rioters played the speech.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Over a megaphone that looks pre recorded. Chill the fuck out.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Some people listened to Trump's message. They left. Then backup arrived from the FBI and police from nearby states.

[Daniel Hodges (D.C. Police Officer)]

I remember just like saying, thank God. And I started clapping because we desperately needed them. And I think it was Virginia State Police, just a bunch of 6 foot 5 corn fed troopers finally came and helped clear out the tunnel. So eventually everyone else was able to clear the grounds and we stayed there until it was clear that the grounds were secure.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

This is what the President of the United States just said. Hard to believe, but I'll repeat it. These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously and viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly and unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love and in peace. Remember this day forever.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

We will remember Madam speaker, the Vice President and the United States Senate. After the Capitol was cleared at about 8pm Congress was able to reconvene. Peter Welch was back in the House chamber.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

That time democracy won.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

It felt like a victory in that.

[Peter Welch (Congressman)]

Moment that it felt like we'd done our job and the person that in fact was elected by the people of this country was certified and it felt good to be part of making that happen.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

Officer Michael Fanone was in a hospital bed. On top of the wounds from the assaults, he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and a minor heart attack. He was exhausted, injured, but still filled with adrenaline.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

When I was in the hospital, I didn't really sleep at all. Joseph R. Biden Jr. Of the state of Delaware has received 306 votes. And I mean, it didn't help that like I'm sitting in a hospital bed and I'm watching like the certification of the election take place like fucking, you know, in the middle of the night. Within that whole number, a majority is 270.

[Correspondent (Tom Dreisbach)]

After all this, at around 4 or 5 in the morning, Fanon took a shower and he washed off all the chemical sprays, the tear gas and the blood and sweat off his body. Officially, 140 police officers were injured in the attack on the Capitol, many of them seriously. Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed that night after being pepper sprayed and he died the following day after suffering two strokes. That 140 number is almost certainly an undercount. It does not include the psychological damage they suffered. Two other officers there that day, Howard Liebengood and Jeffrey Smith, took their own lives in the following days. And Fanon says looking back on that day now, he thinks the worst was still to come.

[Police Officer / Interviewee]

What was traumatic was everything that happened afterwards. There's no end. Like we're still living in the midst of my fucking trauma.

[Narrator/Host (Scott Detrow)]

On the next episode, the Justice Department fans out across the country and begins the largest investigation in its history to bring the rioters to justice. And then Trump turns the story inside out and wins. On the next Consider this. This episode was produced by Monika Estatieva with audio engineering by Robert Rodriguez. It was edited by Barry Hardyman. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

[Police Officer / Riot Participant]

Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to Consider this sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get Consider this +@ +npr.org. that's +npr.org.