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A U.S. Capitol Police captain who responded to the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill offered a heartbreaking first-hand account on Tuesday of his experience fighting white supremacists and other pro-Trump elements.
Captain Carneysha Mendoza told senators at the first official hearing into the security breach that rioters nearly broke her arm amid the chaos. She and her fellow officers were gassed. Many were hit with blunt objects and beaten to the ground.
“I received chemical burns to my face that have not yet healed,” Ms. Mendoza said.
The captain of the USCP, a veteran of the United States Army, has repeatedly called the riot a “battle.”
“We could have had 10 times as many people working with us, and I still believe the battle would have been just as devastating,” she said, a testament to how overwhelmed the officers were as it took hours for the National Guard the arrival of additional police forces.
The Senate heard testimony Tuesday from four security officials on Capitol Hill who oversaw the response to the riot, as lawmakers seek answers on what went wrong before and during the attack.
The four panelists who testified before the Senate Rules and Homeland Security Committees were Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee, Former Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving, Former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger and former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund.
Tuesday’s hearing is the first in a series of surveillance efforts expected in Washington to identify information-gathering failures leading to the Capitol Hill security breach.
“This is certainly not the last hearing we will have regarding this attack. Next week, we will hear from witnesses from federal agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, ”said Senate Rules President Amy Klobuchar.
But before the four panelists gave their opening statements, Ms Klobuchar invited Ms Mendoza to share her story, which demonstrated how violent the mob attack was.
At around 1:30 p.m., the captain was at home having lunch with her 10-year-old son when she received a call from a colleague asking her to come early. She had to work a 4 p.m. shift from 3 p.m.
“I literally gave up on everything to answer early at work that day,” she said.
On her 15-minute walk to work, the dispatch officer informed her that there were six active scenes, including multiple clashes outside the Capitol and explosive devices that had been found at the exterior of the nearby Democratic and Republican National Committee buildings.
Ms Mendoza decided that she would help at the scene of the DNC bomb as it was closest to her current location, but when she heard officers on the radio calling for “immediate” assistance at the Capitol, she rushed past the DNC to go to the Legislative Assembly.
By the time she rushed past the crowd in East Square and entered the building with the help of another officer, dozens of rioters had already passed through the first-floor rotunda under which sits the iconic dome of the Capitol.
She jumped in line with other officers to prevent other rioters from “getting deeper into the building” through the hallways.
“At one point my right arm got stuck between the rioters and the railing along the wall,” she said Tuesday.
A sergeant released his arm from the crushing weight.
“If he hadn’t, I’m sure it would have been broken,” Ms. Mendoza said.
Rioters eventually overpowered Ms Mendoza’s line, sending officers to disperse to other parts of the building to prevent further intrusions.
She drove to La Rotonde, where she noticed a “large smoke-like residue” and scented what she believed to be military grade tear gas, “a familiar scent,” she said. said.
Tear gas mixed with haze from the foamy white fire extinguisher spray rioters had unfolded, creating a noxious fog that exposed several dozen people in the rotunda to suffocating and burning sensations. It was at this time that Ms. Mendoza felt the chemical burns that burned her face.
La Rotonde was a fierce battle between rioters and police.
“I saw officers being thrown to the ground and hit with various objects thrown by rioters,” she said, although she never determined what those objects were.
As captain, Ms. Mendoza “took command” of the officers at the scene and called for reinforcements.
After “a few hours” the officers had managed to clear the rotunda of the crowd.
But with enraged rioters still knocking on the door from outside and pushing to enter, the officers had to brace themselves against her for several more minutes.
“The officers begged me to relieve myself, as they didn’t know how long they could physically keep the door closed with the crowd continually knocking outside the door, trying to enter. Eventually, officers were able to secure the door with furniture and other items, ”Ms. Mendoza said.
While it was widely reported by lawmakers and in the media that the attack lasted about three hours, Ms Mendoza noticed at the time that her Fitbit showed she was in the “exercise zone” for four hours and nine minutes.
“As an American and as a veteran of the military, it’s sad to see us attacked by our fellow citizens. I am sad to see the unnecessary loss of life. I am sad to see the impact this has had on the Capitol police officers. And I am sad to see the impact this has had on our agency and on our country, ”Ms. Mendoza said.
So far, more than 250 people have been indicted for their role in the Capitol riot. Donald Trump has been indicted for inciting the bloody insurgency in which five people were killed. The Senate voted him guilty, 57-43, with seven Republicans voting with the 50 Democrats and Independents in the Democratic caucus. That result fell 10 votes below the two-thirds threshold for conviction, which would have disqualified Mr. Trump from his future term.
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