From inside the U.S. House chamber, Rep. Mikie Sherrill heard banging and voices. She received updates that rioters were coming closer. Soon Capitol police barricaded the doors and drew their guns as people tried to push inside.
Members of Congress were told to get down, get low, get behind things so they would be as safe as possible if there was a shooter, Sherrill said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. She heard glass break, and ultimately crawled out of the nation's halls of power to safety.
"Everyone was very calm and collected, getting out their gas masks and preparing to leave," said the second-term congresswoman from New Jersey's 11th district, which covers parts of Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties.