Rep. Huffman Locks Down At US Capitol Amid 'Violent Coup Attempt'

NORTH BAY, CA —U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) said he was locked down at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday after a mob of demonstrators claiming to be supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump forced their way into the building, attempting to stop the ceremonial counting of Electoral College ballots that identify Joe Biden as the nation's next president.

Huffman — whose district encompasses parts of the North Bay, including all of Marin County and the cities of Petaluma, Healdsburg and Windsor in Sonoma County — confirmed he was at the Capitol trying to ride out the "violent coup attempt."

A woman was fatally shot in the struggle, the Washington Post reported. Some protesters donned armor as they pushed their way past overwhelmed Capitol Police officers and barricades, ABC reported.

Regarding the melee in the nation's capital, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, whose district also encompasses parts of Sonoma County, said: "After today's events, I'm calling on the Vice President to initiate proceedings under the 25th Amendment to gather the Cabinet and remove the President from office. On this dark day for our nation, we need to stand up and end this immediately. Nothing less than the future of our democracy is at stake."

Huffman agreed.

California Protests

Back in the Golden State, hundreds gathered outside the California State Capitol to protest election results Wednesday. Fights had been reported in the crowd and law enforcement officers are maintaining a presence there, Sacramento police said. Multiple people were arrested because they carried pepper spray, police said.

In Southern California, protests took place in Los Angeles and Huntington Beach.

Trump's Reaction

As tensions escalated, Trump posted a video on Twitter repeating baseless claims of election fraud. He urged protesters to go home and heed law enforcement officers.

"We have to have peace, we have to have law and order," he said. "We don't want anybody hurt."

Biden Condemns Protests

Shortly before those remarks, Biden condemned the protests at a news conference, calling them "an assault of the most sacred of American undertakings: the doing of the people's business."

The president-elect said he was shocked and saddened to see the country "come to such a dark moment," and called the protesters lawless extremists who are not representative of the country.

"This is not dissent," he said. "It's disorder, it's chaos, it borders on sedition, and it must end now."

Read more:

• Trump Mob Breach Locked Down Capitol; 1 Shot In Melee
• Protesters Amass In CA In 'Wild' Protest Of 2020 Election Results

— Patch editors Courtney Teague ad Kat Schuster contributed to this report.