Pro-Trump Crowds Rally At AZ Capitol To Protest Election Results

PHOENIX — Hundreds of President Donald Trump's supporters rallied outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix Wednesday to express their disapproval of the Nov. 3 election results.

The protest occurred just as lawmakers in Washington, D.C. were forced to pause Electoral College vote counting and evacuate the chamber after protesters breached the U.S. Capitol. One person has been confirmed dead, according to the Associated Press.

Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bart Graves told The Arizona Republic that officers had increased security at the state capitol "to ensure the safety of the public."

DPS estimated that there were about 1,000 people in attendance at the peak of the protests but the crowd dwindled throughout the day. Trucks were seen carrying additional fencingto the Arizona Capitol just before 6 p.m. in anticipation of more crowds.

A handful of protesters could be seen banging on the Capitol doors Wednesday afternoon, cracking a window in the process, which was captured by David Wallace, a photojournalist with the Republic.

Others brought a large guillotine, a device that decapitates people, and set it up near a livestream of the proceedings happening in the joint session of Congress.

Democratic State Rep. Andrés Cano, who represents Tucson, called on Gov. Doug Ducey to have the guillotine removed right away.

"Crazy that I’m having to tweet this— but @dougducey, can you get this guillotine outside of the Arizona State Capitol grounds removed promptly? Please and thank you," he tweeted.

Ducey has not yet responded, but he did denounce the D.C. breach in a tweet, saying the scene "has no place in our form of government."

He was joined by Democratic Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and many other bipartisan Arizona lawmakers, who tweeted that the "un-American" breach was an "atrocious assault on our democracy."

The group of Trump supporters in D.C. and in Phoenix allege widespread fraud took place in the Nov. 3 election. Arizona became the first state to have its election results objected to in Congress before lawmakers were forced to evacuate. The session is expected to reconvene late Wednesday once the Capitol is secured.

Eight lawsuits alleging fraud in Arizona's election have been tossed out by judges, including the Arizona Supreme Court. To date, no evidence of fraud has been found in the state.

Arizona GOP Leader Kelli Ward, who filed one of those lawsuits, spoke at Wednesday's rally in Phoenix. She called the mob in D.C. "fakes" who were working to undermine Trump supporters. She was heckled by some in the crowd as she spoke who called her a traitor.

Ward dismissed calls for her to leave the stage.

"We don’t want you here. You guys are the traitors. We have got to unite behind faith, family and freedom," Ward said.