A former police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol from a mob of rioters during the  Jan. 6 Insurrection announced that he is running for Congress in the state of Maryland, the Associated Press reports.

Former Sgt. Harry Dunn announced his candidacy on Friday (Jan. 5) just a day before the third anniversary of the Insurrection led by thousands of Donald Trump supporters who disputed the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory.

On January 6th, I defended our democracy from insurrectionists as a Capitol Police Officer,” his post read on X (formerly Twitter). After, President Biden honored me with the Presidential Citizens Medal.”

“Today, I’m running for Congress to stop Trump's MAGA extremists & ensure it never happens again,” he continued.

In an interview with CNN, Dunn expressed that his experience of defending the US Capitol against a violent mob of Trump supporters was the impetus for his candidacy

"I believe that as a Capitol Police Officer, I've exhausted everything that I could do in that role, in that capacity to fight, for accountability, to fight for justice, to preserve our democracy, to fight for a democracy," Dunn said.

He also holds Trump responsible for the Jan. 6 Insurrection saying the former president instigated the crowd into a frenzy in which they went on to attack the U.S. Capitol building.  

"I wanna do everything in my power that I can do to fight back against him," Dunn said. "As a congressman, that gives me a seat at the table now to hold him accountable."

Along with DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, DC Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, and Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, Dunn testified to the January 6 committee the violent scene that witnessed firsthand in July 2021.

"Capitol Police officers and Metropolitan Police officers, MPD, were engaged in desperate hand-to-hand fighting with rioters across the west lawn," Dunn said during his testimony. "I witnessed the rioters using all kinds of weapons against officers, including flagpoles, metal bike racks that they had torn apart, and various kinds of projectiles. Many were screaming, and many were blinded and coughing from chemical irritants being sprayed in their faces."

He also said participants in the riot called him a number of racialx epithets when he disclosed that he voted for Joe Biden.

Dunn will be seeking the seat left vacant by Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat who represented Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District that stretches between Baltimore and Washington D.C.