As more footage from the U.S. Capitol riot on Wednesday surfaces, more stories of those who put their lives on the line to save members of Congress and staffers have come to light. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman is among those who have emerged as heroes, thanks to a viral video showing him leading rioters away from the Senate chamber. Goodman’s actions were seen in a viral video published by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic, but it was not until Sunday that Goodman was identified.
In Bobic’s original video, Goodman is seen standing by himself while a mob of pro-Trump supporters is yelling at him. The rioter continues pushing forward though, forcing Goodman to run up the stairs as he waved his baton. One riot continues running forward while Goodman runs backward. At one point, Goodman is actually leading the rioters away from an unguarded corridor.
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Here’s the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber. pic.twitter.com/CfVIBsgywK
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
On Saturday, after the Washington Post published a report on the riots, Bobic realized what Goodman was really doing. “Looking again at the video I took of the mob storming the Senate, there’s a moment when the lead rioter looks right for a second, before continuing to follow the officer left, away from the immediate entrance to the Senate. This happened at 2:14,” Bobic wrote. According to a Post reporter inside the Senate chamber, it was finally sealed by 2:15 p.m.
One of the best humans I know had some thoughts on watching U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman face down that mob of Trump-loving insurrectionists that was steps away from the floor of the Senate. Sharing here, with his permission. pic.twitter.com/NEDM1DOyrJ
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) January 10, 2021
On Sunday, CNN reporter Kristin Wilson confirmed Goodman’s identity. “He almost certainly saved lives on Wednesday,” Wilson wrote. HuffPost reporter Ryan J. Reilly called Goodman “one of the best humans I know” and shared a text message from the officer with his permission. “Black bodies have just had to do so much heavy lifting in this country – from slavery til now – and all Black people want is the chance to be treated like everyone else,” Goodman wrote to Reilly.
Goodman served in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Iraq, according to his Facebook page, reports Heavy. He was spent time at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. His LinkedIn profile noted that he lives in the Washington D.C. metro area. He has worked for the U.S. Capitol Police since at least 2011.
Officer Eugene Goodman stopped a mob of white rioters from entering the chambers of the United States Senate.
At this perilous moment in our nation’s history, he was the one person standing between democracy and the rule of tyrants.
(Photo Credit: New York Times) pic.twitter.com/vTjvVp9SLe
— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) January 10, 2021
The man seen charging at Goodman in Bobic’s video was identified as Doug Jensen, 41, of Des Moines, Iowa. He was arrested in Iowa Saturday morning and is in custody at Polk County Jail, reports the Des Moines Register. The FBI charged Jensen with five federal charges: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disrupting the orderly conduct of government business; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building; and obstructing a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.”
