Capitol Police Officer Being Hailed As A Hero for Drawing Angry Mob Away From Senate Floor

January 12, 2021 admin National 0
Eugene Goodman | Photo Credit: Twitter
By John Bacon –  A Capitol Police officer is being hailed as a hero for drawing an angry mob away from the entrance to the Senate floor Wednesday as rioters smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol.

In viral video from the scene, the officer is seen glancing to his left and notices the unobstructed hallway to the Senate as he was chased up a flight of stairs. The officer, identified by CNN as Eugene Goodman, at first tried to block an open door before realizing he was alone and being pursued.

Goodman, armed with a baton, pushes the leader of the pack, a man wearing a black QAnon shirt later identified as Doug Jensen from Des Moines. Jensen was focused on Goodman and appeared not to notice the open hallway leading to the Senate chambers.

“His name is USCP Officer Eugene Goodman. Remember his name. He almost certainly saved lives on Wednesday,” tweeted CNN reporter Kristin Wilson. “My thanks, Officer Goodman. THANK YOU.”

Jensen was later arrested by the FBI on five federal charges. A Capitol Police officer was among five people who died as a result of the violence, fueled by President Trump’s baseless claims that the November presidential election was stolen from him.

U.S. Capitol police did not immediately respond to a request for information on the confrontation.

“As trump’s fascist mob ransacked the US Capitol, this brave USCP officer kept murderous rioters away from the Senate chamber and saved the lives of those inside. God bless him for his courage,” Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., said in a Twitter post Sunday.

The fallout came quickly for Goodman’s lead pursuer. Jensen, 41, was arrested by the FBI at 1 a.m. Saturday at his Iowa home and booked into the Polk County Jail. Jensen’s employer, Forrest & Associate Masonry in Des Moines, announced Friday that he had been fired.

Doug Jensen of Des Moines, wearing a QAnon T-shirt, was photographed inside the U.S. Capitol during Wednesday's riot. The FBI arrested him at his home.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Jensen posted a photo of himself standing near the Washington Monument in the same sweatshirt and T-shirt. The T-shirt has an eagle and large Q on the front. QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory that falsely alleges the existence of a satanic “deep state” apparatus that supports a child sex trafficking ring.

Before Jensen’s Facebook page disappeared, many of Jensen’s posts consisted of images in support of President Donald Trump and QAnon. He also posted on Twitter a screen grab of him confronting police and tagged two people whose accounts were suspended.

Jensen also posted a video on TikTok, saying he’s being turned into the “poster boy” for the riots in Washington, D.C., and to not to believe the news.

Contributing: Philip Joens and Robin Opsahl, Des Moines Register

For more on the original article visit: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/11/capitol-police-officer-praised-drawing-angry-mob-away-senate/6619883002/

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