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8.5 THE MOB SURGES
Far-right extremists continued to lead the charge as protestors streamed onto the U.S. Capitol’s restricted grounds. On the north side of the West Plaza, there was a scaffold with stairs used by construction workers to build the inauguration stage. Law enforcement officers were stationed at the base of the stairs, preventing rioters from climbing to the upper West Plaza, where doors to the Capitol building itself were located. At 1:49 p.m., MPD declared a riot at the Capitol.[136]
Shortly before 1:50 p.m., rioters gathered in front of this scaffold on the northwest corner of the Capitol. The rioters included Proud Boys and other extremists. One rioter, Guy Reffitt, belonged to a Three Percenter group from Texas.[137] By approximately 1:50 p.m., he stood at the front of the pack near the scaffold, carrying a pistol and flexicuffs.[138] He wore body armor under a blue jacket and a helmet with a mounted body camera.[139]
Reffitt advanced on the police line, absorbing rubber bullets and pushing through chemical spray.[140] As he recounted shortly after the attack, Reffitt got “everything started moving forward.” [141] He "started the fire"
