North Bay Rep. Mike Thompson Safe As Mob Descends On U.S. Capitol

NORTH BAY, CA — North Bay Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) is safe after a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, attempting to stop the ceremonial counting of Electoral College ballots that identify Joe Biden as the nation's next president.

Thompson — whose district includes Napa County and parts of Contra Costa, Lake, Solano and Sonoma counties — said he was sheltering at a secure area in the Capitol and would give more updates in the future.

"This is a very sad day for democracy," he said on Twitter.

I am currently sheltering in place in the Capitol at a secure location. I will give more updates. This is a very sad day for democracy.
— Mike (Wear A Mask) Thompson (@RepThompson) January 6, 2021

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.

In an update just after 3 p.m. Pacific Time, Thompson 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."

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 Kat Schuster and Maggie Fusek contributed to this report