Multiple police officers were seen being evacuated with injuries after clashes with pro-Trump rioters on Capitol Hill

• Thousands of protesters from across the US gathered in Washington, DC on Wednesday to protest the presidential vote certification in Congress.
• The protests turned into riots, leading to the Capitol Building being evacuated as rioters stormed the building.
• During the riots, multiple injured police officers were seen being evacuated after clashing with protesters.
• Prior to the vote certification process, Trump whipped his supporters into a frenzy using a groundless claim that Congress can selectively throw out states’ electoral votes based on unsubstantiated assertions of fraud.
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As Congress debated to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College votes, injured police officers were seen being evacuated on Capitol Hill during attempts to quell large-scale riots outside of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

—Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 6, 2021

On Wednesday morning,  thousands of protestors congregated on Capitol Hill as Congress planned to officially certify the results of the November presidential election.

President Donald Trump headlined a “stop the steal” rally while spouting unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud and baselessly accusing Democrats of working with election vendors to rig the presidential race against Trump.

There is no evidence to support the president’s claims and all 50 states have officially certified their election results as of December.

The protests grew violent following the president’s speech as rioters fought against police while attempting to breach the Capitol building, ultimately succeeding and gaining entrance. Multiple police offers were seen being evacuated outside of the Capitol Building with injuries stemming from the protests. According to CNN, at least one officer has been transported to the hospital.

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021

Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, in a since-deleted message, retweeted the president’s message, saying, “American Patriots – any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.”

When asked if she was calling the rioters “patriots,” she clarified her point in a tweet and said, “Peaceful protest is patriotic. Violence is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”

The Capitol Building went into lockdown as both the House of Representatives and Senate were in their chambers discussing the validity of Arizona’s vote in the election. Congress was later sent into recess before being evacuated after protestors gained entrance into the Capitol Building.

—Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

As Senators were escorted out of their chambers, they were seen wearing protective gas masks, and congressional reporters inside of the Capitol Building have reported gunshot-like sounds within the building.

—Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 6, 2021

The exact number of injured police officers from the riots is unknown. The US Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.