crowd. Nick Fuentes, the leader of the "America First" movement, amplified President Trump's rhetoric aimed at Vice President Pence, including the President's 2:24 p.m. tweet.[269] Speaking through a bullhorn while standing on the Peace Monument, Fuentes shouted:
We just heard that Mike Pence is not going to reject any fraudulent elector votes! That's right, you heard it here first: Mike Pence has betrayed the United States of America. Mike Pence has betrayed the President and he has betrayed the people of the United States of America—and we will never ever forget![270]
As rioters flowed through the halls and offices inside the Capitol, others broke through the defensive lines of USCP and MPD officers on the lower West Plaza at 2:28 p.m., allowing them to take over the inauguration stage.[271] According to MPD Officer Michael Fanone, MPD officers were then forced to conduct the "first fighting withdrawal" in the history of the force, with law enforcement seeking to "reestablish defensive lines" to prevent the "crowd that had swelled to approximately 20,000 from storming the U.S. Capitol."[272]
After surging through the West Plaza, rioters quickly headed towards the West Plaza tunnel. The violence that escalated at 2:28 p.m. on the lower West Plaza continued as rioters reached the tunnel. By 2:41 p.m., law enforcement retreated inside the tunnel, allowing rioters to slowly fill in.[273] Just ten minutes later, the mob jammed the tunnel, desperately trying to break through the police lines.[274] The fighting in and immediately outside of the tunnel raged for over two hours.[275]
Throughout the afternoon, members of the mob struck officers with weapons, shot them with OC (or pepper) spray, and dragged officers from the tunnel into the crowd. Lucas Denney, a Three Percenter from Texas who carried a baton on January 6th, pushed a riot shield into and on top of police officers at the tunnel. The crowd chanted "heave-ho!" as Denney did so.[276] Jeffrey Scott Brown sprayed a chemical or pepper spray at officers and pushed the front of the line in the tunnel.[277] Kyle Young, a January 6th defendant with a long prior criminal history, participated in multiple assaults and violence at the tunnel, including using a pole to jab at police officers.
Young's 16-year-old son was present during the fighting.[278] Robert Morss, a former Army Ranger who wore a military-style vest, participated in a heave-ho effort in the tunnel where he and rioters had created a shield wall.[279] Peter Schwartz and another rioter passed a large cannister of spray back and forth before Schwartz's companion sprayed officers and then the two joined in the heave-ho.[280]
