Today we remember the heroic actions of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman four years after he held off a mob of rioters during the January 6 insurrection.
On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump mobbed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to stop election certification after his unsuccessful reelection bid.
Video shows Goodman's encounter with the growing mob of insurrectionists. As he attempted to quell the rioters, Goodman was followed up the stairs of the Capitol building.
The officer then heroically used himself as "bait," diverting the mob away from the entrance to the Senate Chambers, where lawmakers were debating an objection to Arizona's Electoral College vote count. Video shows Goodman arriving at a landing, noticing the Senate chambers to his left were unguarded, and then leading rioters in the opposition direction of their targets.
Goodman survived the January 6th attack and was unanimously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted Goodman had “foresight in the midst of chaos, and his willingness to make himself a target of the mob’s rage so that others might reach safety”.
Video also showed Goodman directing Republican senator Mitt Romney to safety as he was unknowingly heading toward a mob of insurrectionists.
“I was very fortunate indeed that officer Goodman was there to get me in the right direction,” Romney previously told reporters.
On January 6, 2023, President Joe Biden recognized Goodman's valor with the Presidential Citizens Medal.
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