“It Was Incredibly Violent. And a Lot of Police Officers Got Hurt.”: Officer Michael Fanone Recounts Attack on the U.S. Capitol Ahead of January 6th Anniversary
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Courage for America Council Member and former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone spoke with Tyler Hatfield on FOX 43 recalling his experience defending the U.S. Capitol against MAGA rioters ahead of the third anniversary of January 6th. Below is a transcript of the interview:
Tyler Hatfield: I’m with former Metro DC police officer Michael Fanone who was on the ground that day to hear about what he saw.
Officer Michael Fanone: It was nothing I’d ever seen as a police officer.
Hatfield: Fanone’s body cam footage shows him trying to push back rioters from entering the Lower West campus tunnel.
Fanone: The fighting was intense. It was close quarters combat. And there were only about 40 of us in that tunnel. Holding off what turned out to be an onslaught of thousands upon thousands of rioters who were trying to make their way into the Capitol.
Hatflied: Fanone says he was then met on the Capitol steps by rioters, pulled out into the crowd, and attacked.
Fanone: I was beaten. I was struck multiple times with a taser device. My day ended at Washington Hospital Center in a hospital bed.
Hatfield: Fanone says he suffered from a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury that day.
Fanone: I realized that I probably came closer to dying that day than I ever have as a police officer.
Hatfield: And three years later, Fanone still feels the public doesn’t understand what happened at the Capitol.
Fanone: What’s most difficult is the aftermath. And the fact that again, like I’m still here, still having to give interviews to educate the public as to the reality and the significance of the violence that occurred that day. It was not a tourist day. It was not a normal day. It was incredibly violent. And a lot of police officers got hurt.
To view the full interview, click HERE.
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