"I know that day I saved countless lives," Lt. Michael Byrd said in an interview with "NBC Nightly News." "I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that's my job."
"I tried to wait as long as I could," Byrd said of the incident in the doorway. "I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers."
U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd helps to direct the evacuation as the House chamber comes under attack by a violent mob at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.