Four police officers testified in Washington before a special commission investigating the storming of the US Capitol in January. It is the committee’s first hearing. The officers told about how they were mistreated, insulted and threatened with death.
One of the officers told how he was dragged into a crowd of riots, robbed of his badge and repeatedly attacked with an electroshock weapon. The officer was knocked unconscious and was later told by doctors that he had suffered a heart attack. Before he lost consciousness, he heard people in the crowd shouting for the officer to be killed with his own service weapon.
Another law enforcement officer called the storming “a medieval battlefield”. He described how his family followed the violent event on television and wondered if the officer was still alive.
Committee chair Bennie Thompson emphasized that the riots “wanted to take away our democracy” and were driven by lies. Committee member Jamie Raskin called the interrogated agents “heroes to our country” and described the riots as “fascist traitors to the country”.
The US House of Representatives established the committee after attempts by Senate Republicans to conduct an independent investigation into the riots and to blockade the Capitol. Multiple committees of the House and Senate, the other chamber of parliament, previously investigated intelligence and security deficiencies on January 6.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump raided the House of Representatives on January 6. The crowd spoke of electoral fraud and wanted to prevent parliament from confirming the election results. Five people were killed in the storming.