Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards describes Jan. 6 attack as 'carnage' and 'chaos'

Caroline Edwards, a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was briefly knocked unconscious during the Capitol attack, testified on Thursday night during the Jan. 6 committee's public hearing that she witnessed "carnage" and "chaos," adding, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that as a police officer, as a law enforcement officer, I would find myself in the middle of a battle."
Edwards told the panel that she was "called a lot of things on Jan. 6, 2021," including "Nancy Pelosi's dog," "incompetent," "hero," "villain," and "traitor to my country, my oath, and my Constitution." In fact, she was "none of those things," Edwards said. "I was an American standing face to face with other Americans, asking myself many, many times how we had gotten here." This, she added, was the first time her "patriotism" and "duty" had been called into question.
As supporters of former President Donald Trump started arriving at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Edwards was one of the officers at the edge of the Capitol lawn. The panel played footage showing the crowd surge and a bike rack being thrown at Edwards, who fell down, hit her head on the stairs, and lost consciousness. After coming to and returning to duty, was also burned by a chemical spray rioters used against officers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Edwards told the committee that once she got up after being tear-gassed, she began slipping on the blood that had fallen on the ground. "It was carnage, it was chaos, I can't even describe what I saw," she said. "I'm trained to detain a couple of subjects and handle a crowd, but I'm not combat trained, and that day it was hours of hand-to-hand combat, hours of dealing with things that were way beyond what any law enforcement officer had trained for. I remember that moment of stepping behind the line and seeing the absolute war zone that the west front had become."
Several other officers who were injured at the Capitol on Jan. 6 attended the hearing, including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn; U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell; Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges; and Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Is America heading toward competitive authoritarianism?
Today's Big Question Some experts argue that the country's current democratic system is fading
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Detention centers have, for decades, been an abuse of administrative power'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Texas megachurch founder charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Robert Morris, former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, is accused of sexually abusing a child
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is America heading toward competitive authoritarianism?
Today's Big Question Some experts argue that the country's current democratic system is fading
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Detention centers have, for decades, been an abuse of administrative power'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump trade war heats up as Canada, EU retaliate
Speed Read The president imposes 25% steel and aluminum tariffs in an effort to revive US manufacturing, though it may drive up prices for Americans instead
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is a new Air Force One taking so long to build?
The Explainer Trump may look for alternatives for his new plane
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Trump hawks Teslas, slashes more federal jobs
Speed Read The Education Department cut its workforce in half ahead of an expected Trump order to shutter the agency
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine agrees to ceasefire, ending US aid freeze
Speed Read Kyiv made peace with the Trump administration by agreeing to an immediate ceasefire in its war against Russian invaders
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Greenland's surprising election result
The Explainer Unexpected success for Demokraatit after a campaign overshadowed by Trump's threats
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Budget: Will the GOP cut entitlements?
Feature Republicans are pushing for a budget to cut Medicaid
By The Week US Published