Dramatic new cellphone video from the Capitol riot introduced as evidence ahead of the sentencing of rioter Damon Beckley, shows the tense standoff at the entrance to the chamber of the House of Representatives on 6 January 2021.
As rioters hurled insults and angry, false claims of election fraud and two Republican members of Congress confronted them through the broken glass, law enforcement officers pointed their firearms at the mob trying to breach the main door to the chamber.
The footage was released to the media following a request by NBC News and provides a clear insight into the motivation of the rioters as they tried to gain access to the floor of the House, where many members, media, and staffers were trapped.
Video and photos already seen from the day show how the doors to the chamber were barricaded by those inside as the mob descended and proceeded to smash the glass of the windowed doors.
Reps Troy Nehls of Texas and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma scolded the rioters for their actions, with Mr Nehls telling them they should be ashamed.
Both lawmakers voted to overturn the 2020 election results in favour of Donald Trump in an attempt to stop the winner of both the Electoral College and popular vote, Joe Biden, from becoming president.
Beckley can be heard in the video saying: “I drove fourteen hours to get here and stood in the cold for three and a half hours to find out that Mike Pence is a f***ing traitor, man. And I voted for that f***ing dude.”
He adds: “He could’ve done the right thing and certified those legislators, electors, and we wouldn’t be standing here with a nine-millimetre pointed at me right now!”
The rioters’ unhinged shouts on the video include an apparent assertion within earshot of law enforcement: “They can only kill so many of us.”
The stand-off at the door to the House of Representatives chamber on 6 January 2021— (Getty Images)
During the riot, in another part of the building, Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old US Air Force veteran from San Diego, California, was shot dead by a police officer as she climbed through the window of a barricaded door.
On the video, a rioter can be heard calling the officers with their weapons drawn: “F***ing paedophiles!”
They add: “We know about your paedophilia.”
A security guard points his firearm at rioters storming the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 in footage captured on a cellphone— (NBC News)
Later in the standoff, a rioter says through the broken glass of the door: “If we’ve got to hang a bunch of crooked congressmen, we’ll do that, okay?”
Toward the end of the video clip, reinforcements of Capitol Police arrive and clear the doorway ushering the angry mob away.
“Shame on your f***ing selves,” a rioter yells as they move away.
