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A US Capitol Police officer is being hailed a hero after he faced down an angry mob of supporters of President Donald Trump during last week’s riot at the Capitol building, and drew them away from the Senate chamber that had yet to be secured.
Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, identified by CNN reporter Kristin Wilson, was seen in video footage taken by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic putting himself between the Senate chamber and an angry mob headed by a rioter wearing a QAnon T-shirt.
Goodman, who is Black, can be seen first interacting with the mob of white men as they pushed their way down a hallway.
Armed only with a baton and with no other officers nearby, Goodman led the men on a chase up a flight of stairs while calling “second floor” into his radio.
Once outside a hallway leading to the Senate chamber, Goodman shoved one of the men to get his attention before moving in the opposite direction. The rioter he shoved — the man in the QAnon shirt — lingered for a moment and looked down the Senate chamber hallway before ultimately following Goodman.
Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber. pic.twitter.com/CfVIBsgywK
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
Eventually, Goodman was met by backup in another room of the building.
Goodman’s efforts gave the Senate time to lock down against the threat of rioters, according to the Washington Post and Bobic.
Bobic said that he filmed the video at 2:14 p.m. The Washington Post reported that the Senate Chamber was secured at 2:15 p.m. A video of the Senate floor posted by Capitol Hill reporter Jamie Dupree showed the senate was still full at 2:21 p.m.
Goodman, who is also an Army veteran and a father, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Neither did Capitol Police.
Officer Eugene Goodman stopped a mob of white rioters from entering the chambers of the United States Senate.
At this perilous moment in our nation’s history, he was the one person standing between democracy and the rule of tyrants.
(Photo Credit: New York Times) pic.twitter.com/vTjvVp9SLe
— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) January 10, 2021
This moment in @igorbobic stunning footage. In front of the officer, coming up the stairs, is a mass of rioters. The USCP officer glances to his left. Between those two chairs is the entrance to the senate floor. He lured them to his right, away from their targets. pic.twitter.com/knjQQ4GZ0d
— Kristin Wilson (@kristin__wilson) January 10, 2021
But footage of his actions quickly started trending on Twitter, and many praised Goodman for what he had done.
“As trump’s fascist mob ransacked the US Capitol, this brave USCP officer kept murderous rioters away from the Senate chamber and saved the lives of those inside. God bless him for his courage,” US Representative Bill Pascrell wrote in a Twitter message on …read more
Source:: Businessinsider – Politics
