On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump breached the United States Capitol building, Goodman, unaccompanied by other officers, confronted them. He has been cited for heroism in baiting and diverting the crowd away from the Senate chamber in the minutes before the chamber could be safely evacuated. As the crowd reached a landing from which there was an unimpeded path to the Senate chamber, Goodman pushed the lead person, Doug Jensen, and then retreated away from the chamber. One report described his actions as follows:
In short, he tricked them, willingly becoming the rabbit to their wolf pack, pulling them away from the chambers where armed officers were waiting, avoiding tragedy and saving lives. Lives which include their own.
Those present at the time of the event, including Democratic and Republican politicians and members of the press, praised Goodman for his quick thinking and brave actions. Republican Senator Ben Sasse credited Goodman with having "single-handedly prevented untold bloodshed". Goodman's former unit, the XVIII Airborne Corps, issued a statement commending his valor and saying that he "was a hero long before last Wednesday".
Goodman's actions were captured in video footage taken by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic. Bobic's footage of Goodman went viral, receiving more than 10 million views. A second video of Goodman's confrontation with the crowd was published by ProPublica on January 15. Goodman's actions have been credited with saving the lives of the Senators who, at the time, remained inside the chamber.
A video released on February 10, 2021, during the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, showed Goodman leading Senator Mitt Romney away from the rioters during the January 6 attack.
Here is a video of this. At the very beginning is when this image was taken.
chrispy2985 on January 6th, 2022 at 11:40 UTC »
The balls and brains on this guy that day was incredible. Top man
MichaelFairmont on January 6th, 2022 at 11:43 UTC »
He must have been terrified. All alone like that. Definitely an absolute hero.
Spartan2470 on January 6th, 2022 at 13:31 UTC »
Here is a much higher quality and less cropped version of this image. Here is the source. Credit to the photographer, Ashley Gilbertson.
Per here:
Here is a video of this. At the very beginning is when this image was taken.