Then Fanone, who had just been electrocuted several times in the back of the neck, heard something frightening that made him go into survival mode.
“Some guys started holding my gun and shouted, ‘Kill him with his own gun,'” said Fanone, who has been a police officer for almost two decades.
In an interview with CNN, Fanone described his experience fighting a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump who invaded the Capitol in an uprising never seen in modern American history.
Federal officials said the details of the violence to be released will be disturbing.
Fanone, a narcotics detective who works in plain clothes, heard the commotion at the Capitol and took out his still-new police uniform that was hanging in his closet and put it on for the first time, he said. He ran to the building with his partner and helped the police who were being pushed by the rebels.
But Fanone, who said he would rather be shot than be pulled into a crowd where he had no control, was suddenly in his biggest nightmare as an officer. And in those few moments, Fanone considered using deadly force. He thought about using his weapon, but he knew he didn’t have enough firepower and would soon be overpowered again, except that this time they would probably use their weapon against him and have every reason to end his life.
“So the other option I thought of was trying to appeal to someone else’s humanity. And I just remember screaming that I have children. And it seemed to work,” said the father of four, 40.
A group of protesters surrounded Fanone and protected him until help arrived, saving his life.
“Thanks, but fuck you for being there,” said Fanone of the rioters who protected him at that time.
Fanone’s anger and frustration was a sentiment felt by security forces across the country, furious that Trump supporters had breached Capitol grounds the same day that Joe Biden’s victory was confirmed by the House and Senate.
Fanone’s dramatic encounter with protesters who supported Trump was repeated across the United States Capitol grounds, as police fought to repel them. Fanone, one of several officers injured in the brutal battle, shared his story for the first time, still suffering the effects of a mild heart attack.
Since the violation of the Capitol, investigators have dissected every aspect of the day’s events, from the United States Capitol Police’s response to the nationwide manhunt for everyone involved.
“Certainly some of the things we saw on the ground were some indication that there was some coordination going on, but I think that as we proceed with the investigation, a lot of that will be revealed,” incumbent MPD chief Robert Contee told reporters on Thursday. -market.
Fanone said the protesters had weapons of their own or taken from their fellow police officers.
“We were getting irritated sprayed chemicals. They had pipes and different metal objects, batons, some of which I think were taken from police officers. They were attacking us with them,” said Fanone, who added that he will not be sitting at a table. while an uprising was taking place on the Capitol.
“And then it was just the large number of rioters. The strength that came from that side,” he added. “It was difficult to offer any resistance when you only had 30 players against 15,000.”
‘He was practically foaming at the mouth’
Officer Daniel Hodges was another officer who tried to fight the rioters, but was attacked in battle. Hodges gained notoriety after images of him circulated being smashed through a door. The 32-year-old police officer is seen in the clip with blood running between his teeth as he gasped for enough air to be able to scream “Help” at the top of his lungs.
Hodges rushed to the Capitol to offer support like many others and soon found himself being attacked by an angry mob who, he said, believed to be patriots.
“There’s a guy pulling my mask off, he was able to snatch the baton and hit me with it,” said Hodges, who was stuck in the door and added that his arm was bent before they pulled out the gun.
“He was practically foaming at the mouth, so these people were real believers in the worst way.”
Hodges was eventually rescued by other officers who came to his aid.
“You know things were bad,” said Hodges, who miraculously walked without serious injuries and may have suffered a minor concussion. “I was crying out for everything that was worth it, and an officer behind me was able to find enough space to pull me out of there and take me to the rear so I could get free.”
This was Hodges’ first visit to the Capitol building.
‘They felt right’
The patrolman said he had been hearing about the possibility of violence for years, so he was not surprised that the protesters invaded the Capitol. What surprised him was how the rebels thought the police would be on their side.
“Some of them felt that we would be friends quickly because a lot of them have been talking,” said Hodges. “They say things like, ‘Yes, we have supported you through all of these things from the Black Lives Matter, you must support us’ and they felt right.”
He added: “They felt that they were just going to get there and tell us that they are here to resume Congress and that we would agree with them and walk hand in hand and simply take control of the nation. But obviously this is not the case and will never be the case. ”
Now, just days before Biden’s inauguration, federal officials are warning of other threats that may arise.
Mayor Muriel Bowser has publicly warned people not to come to town for the inauguration.
Hodges echoed his feelings and wanted not only the residents, but Trump supporters and extremists to stay at home as well. But with one caveat.
“Stay home. Stop it,” said Hodges. “On the other hand, I hope they get caught. We’ll leave it at that.”