WASHINGTON Four police officers who battled a violent mob of Donald Trumps supporters in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol testified Tuesday about the horrors they faced that day, as Congress began its formal inquiry into the riot. The officers described vicious attacks, racial epithets and fears for their lives all during an event that some Republican lawmakers still say was nothing more than a tourist visit.

A Black officer recalled being called the N-word as he stood his ground when confronted by armed rioters waving a Confederate flag and a Make America Great Again flag.

An officer originally from the Dominican Republic recalled being told he wasnt an American.

A white officer testified that a member of the mob wondered aloud whether he was a brother.

All of the officers described horrific levels of violence. They were beaten, kicked, shoved, shocked, sprayed with painful chemicals and called traitors to America.

I was electrocuted again and again and again with a Taser, said Officer Michael Fanone of the Metropolitan Police Department. Im sure I was screaming, but I dont think I could even hear my own voice.