Thread by @nytimes

During the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, seemingly average citizens — believing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen — united in breathtaking acts of brutality. Amid a flash of violence, seven men from seven states stood out. nyti.ms/3DG0l2a

Although strangers to one another, these men worked as if in concert while grappling with the phalanx of police officers barring entry to the Capitol. One used an American flag as a weapon to beat an officer being dragged down the Capitol steps. nyti.ms/3DG0l2a

These men found themselves in an angry mob roiling on the Capitol's marble steps even as the violence inside the building was winding down. They are now co-defendants in a federal indictment charging them with myriad felonies. nyti.ms/3DG0l2a

They include a truck driver from Arkansas. A machine operator from Michigan who once modeled for romance novels. A fencing contractor from Georgia. A geophysicist from Colorado. An ex-Marine from Pennsylvania. A deputy sheriff from Tennessee. A businessman from Kentucky.

At 2:13 p.m. on Jan. 6, the Capitol experienced its first sustained breach since a fiery attack by the British in 1814 — only this time, the attackers were American. We traced the roots of seven strangers who were united in 90 seconds of rage. nyti.ms/3DG0l2a