Washington DC under curfew amid Capitol Hill chaos

Washington, D.C., will be under a curfew Wednesday starting at 6 p.m., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced.

The announcement comes after protesters rushed up the steps of the U.S. Capitol as Congress debated the presidential vote count. 

“Today what we witnessed was riotous and unlawful behavior,” Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said.

NBC reports the curfew will be in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday. 

“I continue to urge all Washingtonians to stay home and stay calm, and if you see something, say something,” Bowser said in an address to the city. “But above all, stay home."

Police will order protesters on the Capitol grounds to evacuate, Bowser said.

“If you are found to be in violation of the curfew, police will be required to take action,” Contee said.

“During the hours of the curfew, no person, other than persons designated by the Mayor, shall walk, bike, run, loiter, stand, or motor by car or other mode of transport upon any street, alley, park, or other public place within the District,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. 

The order will not apply to essential workers, including members of the media, who are working or traveling to or from work.

 

Photo courtesy C-Span