Santa Cruz County Reps Safe After Mob Descends On U.S. Capitol

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County's congressional representatives were safe Wednesday after supporters of President Donald Trump forced their way into the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, attempting to stop the ceremonial counting of Electoral College ballots that name Joe Biden as the nation's next president.

U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) both confirmed their safety on Twitter.

Eshoo said she was "praying for an end to this violence," while Panetta said he was sheltering in place in the Capitol.

"We are following Capitol Police orders and are grateful for their quick response," he said.

My staff and I are safe. Praying for an end to this violence.
— Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (@RepAnnaEshoo) January 6, 2021

I am currently sheltering in place in the Capitol complex. My staff and I are safe and secure as protests occur on Capitol grounds. We are following Capitol Police orders and are grateful for their quick response.
— Rep. Jimmy Panetta (@RepJimmyPanetta) 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.

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.

As tensions escalated at the Capitol, 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."

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 editor Kat Schuster contributed to this report