(NEXSTAR) – Law enforcement officers at the US Capitol building had their guns drawn in the House Chamber Wednesday as demonstrators appeared to attempt to break-in to the room.

Photos show three officers pointing pistols at a vandalized door in an attempt to barricade the room.

The House Chamber, a large assembly in the center of the Capitol’s south wing, is also known as the Hall of the House Representations. Here, lawmakers meet to introduce, debate and vote on legislation.

Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Law enforcement officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Demonstrators swarmed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, forcing an abrupt halt to deliberations over Republican challenges to Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Republicans in a joint session of Congress were mounting their first formal challenge to Biden’s election win.

Outside, meanwhile, demonstrators are protesting the joint session, which is to confirm Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. The typically routine proceeding, required by law, was anything but ordinary. The president’s Republican allies plan to object to several states’ election results. Many say they are heeding the pleas of the president’s supporters’ to “fight for Trump.”