Jan. 6, 2021, is a day Capitol Hill police officer Eugene Goodman will never forget, as he came to be known as a hero for his swift actions in baiting and diverting a Trump-supporting mob from the Senate chamber in the minutes before it could be safely evacuated. 

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The Washington Post reported for the first time since the attacks, Goodman outlined his experience on the 3 Brothers No Sense podcast. One of the hosts is Byron “Buff” Evans, a friend and co-worker who also at the Capitol on that fateful day. 

“I was just in go mode, you know what I mean?” Goodman recalled, per The Washington Post. “Any situation like that you want to de-escalate but at the same time you want to survive first, you never know.” 

Goodman, a veteran, said his training and experience in the Army enabled him to think and act quickly. He is credited with saving countless lives that day, including that of Republican Senator Mitt Romney. 

“It could have easily been a blood bath,” Goodman said, per ABC News. “So, kudos to everyone there that showed a measure of restraint in regards to deadly force, because it could have been bad.” 

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Police officers, including Goodman, were largely criticized online immediately following the attack, and it wasn’t until HuffPost political reporter Igor Bobic’s video footage went viral that the narrative of his being a hero emerged. 

The attacks on January 6 resulted in the deaths of four people in the crowd. Three officers were also killed and more than 150 were injured, including 86 Capitol police officers and 65 Metropolitan Police Department officers, BNC previously reported. 

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Following the insurrection, Goodman was promoted, escorted Vice President Kamala Harris to the inauguration, landed on the cover of Time magazine and earned the Congressional Gold Medal, the country’s highest civilian accolade.