(Reuters) - U.S. Capitol Police were aware of the possibility of violence from armed extremists when the Capitol was attacked by supporters of former .
9:29 a.m. ET, February 25, 2021
Acting Capitol Police chief will tell lawmakers intelligence failed to predict scope of Jan. 6 attack
From CNN s Whitney Wild, Jeremy Herb and Zachary Cohen
Acting US Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said Wednesday that the agency had taken action ahead of the Jan. 6 riot based on intelligence that extremists planned to participate in the preceding rally and planned to be armed, but that the intelligence failed to predict the scope of the attack, which would ultimately overwhelm officers when the Capitol was breached.
Had there been better intelligence of the coordinated attack, Pittman suggested, the US Secret Service might not have brought then-Vice President Mike Pence – a target of the insurrectionists – to the Capitol to oversee the certification of the November election that day, according to her testimony released ahead of today s House Appropriations Committee hearing.
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(Reuters) - U.S. Capitol Police were aware of the possibility of violence from armed extremists when the Capitol was attacked by supporters of former .
We Were ‘Overwhelmed,’ Capitol Police Say Of Jan. 6 Riots
02/25/21 AT 8:44 AM
The acting head of the police force in Washington D.C. said security was aware of the possibility of violence on Jan. 6, though the force still became quickly “overwhelmed.”
House leaders continue to vet testimony about the events surrounding last month s breach at the Capitol building. Yogananda Pittman, the acting head of the Capitol Police, said early information suggested armed “militia members” and extremist groups would be present.
“While the Department was prepared to neutralize and remove individuals or groups engaging in civil disobedience or violence among the demonstrators, it was quickly overwhelmed by the thousands of insurrectionists (many armed) who immediately and without provocation began attacking officers, bypassing physical barriers, and refusing to comply with lawful orders,” she was quoted by Reuters as saying in her prepared remarks being delivered Thursday to t