WASHINGTON — The crowd pushed past the police barricades, up the steps to the iron doors and, in what seemed like no time at all, hoisted a Trump flag from the U.S. Capitol.

“Protesters are in the building,” came the last words picked up by a microphone carrying a live feed of the Senate before it shut off.

Hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters paraded and hollered on Wednesday, Jan. 6, through some of the most hallowed spaces in the Capitol — propped at the Senate dais and in the House speaker’s office — all to protest the election and keep President Donald Trump in office.

It was an extraordinary, unprecedented scene.

Trump, the defeated president, had been encouraging protesters as Congress convened for a joint session to certify Joe Biden’s win.

Under the very risers set up for Biden’s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol, the Trump supporters gathered.

Protests are typical at the Capitol. But this one was not.

At least one person was shot and killed, though it’s not clear who pulled the trigger during the chaotic scene. Some in the crowd were shouting “traitors” as officers tried to keep them back.

Inside the House chamber, lawmakers described a harrowing scene.

As they stayed down, they were told to have gas masks at the ready — and take off the lapel pins they wear identifying them as elected representatives.

Police had guns drawn, and furniture barricaded the door.

Glass was shattered. Some prayed while protesters banged on the doors. Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips yelled loudly at Republicans, “This is because of you!”

A chaplain prayed as police guarded the doors to the chamber and lawmakers tried to gather information about what was happening.

Announcements blared: Due to an “external security threat,” no one could enter or exit the Capitol complex, the recording said. Lawmakers tweeted that they were sheltering in place.

Reporters and lawmakers hid under tables as the protesters banged on the door, demanding to be let inside. Rumors of guns spread, but it wasn’t clear if any shots were fired beside the one. Tear gas was said to have been dispersed in the Rotunda.

After making sure the hallways were clear, police swiftly escorted people down a series of hallways and tunnels to a cafeteria in one of the House office buildings.

As he walked out of the Capitol, Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes said he “always assumed it could never happen here.”

But others were not so sure.

Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, among those challenging Biden’s win, blamed “both sides” for the chaos at the Capitol.

“What do you think was taking place in this country?” he told reporters. “There’s been a lot of people during the last four years that have just been getting more and more incensed over what is going on around the country, on both sides. It’s just too bad. This is not how we handle things in America.”

The Senate side was not much different.

Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the session, was evacuated from the Senate as protesters and police shouted outside the doors.

Police evacuated the chamber at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, ushering senators to the first of what would be several undisclosed locations.

Clerks grabbed boxes of electoral college certificates as they left.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, attending the session, was among those ushered to safety.

As soon as they left, protesters roamed the halls shouting, “Where are they?” One got on the Senate dais and yelled, “Trump won that election.”

WASHINGTON — As the U.S. Congress began certifying the win of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 6, protesters breached the U.S. Capitol building, leading to an evacuation.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici spoke to the Portland Tribune at 11:50 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and said she and her staff were safe and out of the building.

“I’m OK,” she said. “But it’s just awful. I’m concerned for the safety of everyone.”

The Washington Post and other media reported that throngs of protesters — at the encouragement of President Donald Trump — stormed the Capitol to protest the process for certifying Biden’s win.

“Just before 1 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), a group of primarily white men pushed, then toppled the barricades, storming through them to the grassy fields leading to the Capitol,” according to the Washington Post. “Hundreds scaled and kicked aside the barricades, yelling ‘Forward!’”

As the Democrat spoke to the Portland Tribune, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser used an emergency broadcast system to announce a citywide curfew.

“The last four years, tempers have flared,” Bonamici said. “Donald Trump has brought this about by urging people to come here, based on false statements.”

She continued speaking but said, “I’m sorry. I have to.” And was abruptly cut off.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, spoke to reporters via conference call around 12:34 p.m. (PST) on Jan. 6, saying “We are safe. Senators were rushed to an undisclosed, safe location. We’re safe and they’re reestablishing control of the Capitol.”

He added that his employees are no longer in the Capitol.

“As far as I’m aware, my whole staff is safe. I didn’t have much staff here because of COVID,” he said. “But they’re all safe, thank you.”

Merkley spoke with anger about the lies regarding the November election, which drove protesters to the Capitol.

“That’s what we heard on the floor today,” he said. “‘We should listen to the mob. And that’s why we should stop the election of Joe Biden.’ That’s exactly wrong.”

Nick Clemens, spokesman for Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz, said that the congressman and all his staff in Washington were safe and awaiting word on next steps. Clemens declined to discuss Bentz’s position on the objections to the Electoral College vote.

Bentz posted a statement to his Facebook page.

“Peaceful protest is essential to our society — violent protest is not,” he wrote. “I urge all those gathered in Washington DC today to respect United States Capitol Police and allow Congress to resume deliberation in the electoral certification process.”

Democrat Rep. Earl Blumenauer called the protesters “domestic terrorists.”

“The people storming the U.S. Capitol building right now are domestic terrorists emboldened by Trump and every Republican who has spread lies about the results of the presidential election,” he said. This has to stop.”

Sen. Ron Wyden also issued a statement saying the protest is a fitting end to four years of the Trump presidency.

“What’s happening today in our nation’s Capitol is a direct assault on democracy, a riot by insurrectionists that caps off four years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of fanaticism,” he said. “Every Republican lawmaker who supported his efforts to overturn a legitimate election shares responsibility for the violence at the heart of our democracy.”

— Gary A. Warner, Oregon Capital Bureau, and Pamplin Media Group