The DC mayor called the siege of events on the United States Capitol an act of “domestic terrorism and sedition”.
More than 6,000 members of the DC National Guard and elsewhere are being mobilized, and a 2.10-meter-high one is being erected around the US Capitol in response to the disturbances on Wednesday, which Mayor Muriel Bowser called “acts of domestic terrorism”.
Later on Thursday, DC’s interim attorney general Michael Sherwin said his office has so far accused 55 people of disturbances in the district. This includes 40 DC Superior Court cases related to illegal entry and gun possession charges. Some of these cases are from the beginning of the week, Sherwin said.
In addition, his office has accused 15 federal cases specifically related to Capitol disturbances, including a man arrested near the Capitol who had a semi-automatic weapon and 11 Molotov cocktails “ready to go,” said Sherwin.
“It is a good start, but in no way is it the end,” said Sherwin of the charges raised so far. “This is just the beginning.”
Sherwin said more serious charges are also on the table, including insurrection and seditious conspiracy.
“All of these charges are on the table. We will not leave anything out of our arsenal for potential charges, ”he said. “We will bring in as many charges as possible based on the conduct.”
At a news conference on Thursday, Bowser pointed to the federal Code of Regulations when he called the trespassing of the Capitol building by Trump supporters “textbook terrorism”.
Four people died during the riot, including Ashli Babbitt, 35, who was shot and killed by a United States Capitol Police officer while members of the crowd tried to forcibly enter the Chamber of Deputies.
Three other people on the Capitol grounds died in what appeared to be medical emergencies, according to DC’s acting police chief Robert Contee. They were identified as Benjamin Phillips, 50, of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, of Athens, Alabama; and Roseanne Boyland, 34, from Kennesaw, Georgia.
Bowser called the initial response by the US Capitol Police “catastrophic failure” and called for an investigation.
Meanwhile, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced that a total of 6,200 members of the National Guard were being deployed and would remain in place for at least 30 days to support DC police. The mobilization includes the entire DC National Guard, as well as support from members of the Virginia National Guard, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York.
In addition, a 2.13-meter-high “non-scalable” fence is being built around the Capitol building, McCarthy said. The fence will run along Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue and First Street to the street that passes in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool.
The fence is also expected to remain erected for the next 30 days, which includes the opening on January 20.
Bowser has already issued a public emergency for the next two weeks. A 12-hour curfew in DC suspended at 6 am on Thursday.
Bowser said he will make a decision on day-to-day curfews, as needed, and that he will notify DC residents in advance.
Bowser wants investigation of ‘catastrophic security breaches’ on Capitol Hill
Contee said his officers arrested a total of 68 people from Wednesday night until Thursday morning. Of these, 41 arrests were for Capitol reasons, and 25 were specifically for illegal entry.
Contee said the arrests inside the Capitol took place after the 6 pm curfew ordered by the mayor. He said his officers could safely make arrests at the Capitol only after they regained control of the chaos and restored order.
But going forward, he said the police could make additional arrests of other people based on the dozens of photos of people inside the Capitol that the DC police released in an attempt to identify them.
The people in the photos are listed as “people of interest in the agitation,” according to the police.
MPD seeks assistance in identifying persons of interest responsible for crimes of illegal entry that occurred yesterday at the United States Capitol, block 100 of 1st Street, NW.
More photos: https://t.co/i2Hbv1bkPh
Do you have information? Call (202) 727-9099 / text 50411 pic.twitter.com/yWIPEaxxFW
– DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 7, 2021
“These are clear images. There is no mistaking who some of these individuals are, ”said Contee.
The photos were shared with regional airport authorities, as well as with the FBI, and DC police officers were “searching” hotels and businesses for people who might still be in the city on Thursday morning, said Contee.
The chief said 56 policemen were injured in the clashes. “There have been many brave battles by members of the Metropolitan Police Department” to restore order, he said.
At least one policeman was still in the hospital. “He was snatched out of the crowd, beaten, kicked and fired several times,” said Contee.
Speaking on Thursday, Bowser blamed the initial response to the chaos of the US Capitol Police and asked Congress to establish a non-partisan commission “to understand the catastrophic security breaches that have occurred at the Capitol.”
Bowser said he asked for help from the National Guard earlier this week to help DC police deal with the traffic and crowds expected with pro-Trump rallies. But when violence broke out at the Capitol, it was the responsibility of the Capitol Police to request military assistance, she said.
“I cannot send the Army, the National Guard, to the United States Capitol grounds,” said Bowser.
Contee said there was no intelligence to suggest a violation of the U.S. Capitol.
The Army secretary said that advance planning suggested that events would be similar to the pro-Trump rallies in November and December, but said it was not in his “wildest imagination that you could end up violating Capitol grounds”.
In a statement released on Thursday, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund defended how his department is handling the situation, saying that thousands of people broke into the Capitol building and attacked Capitol Police with tubes of metal, chemical irritants and other weapons.
As chaos unfolded, the Capitol Police were also forced to respond to two separate reports of tubular bombs, one at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the other at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. “Both devices were, in fact, dangerous and could cause major damage to public security,” Sund said in the statement.
Capitol Police arrested a total of 14 people for illegal entry.