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Midlands locals who went to the D.C. protests return home

News 19 spoke to two people who traveled to the nation's Capitol for the rallies.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Thousands upon thousands, its the shocking videos we've seen all week. Rioters swarming the nation's Capital, with protestors coming from across the nation.

Christina Praser-Fair, a mother of three and owner of Cornwallis House Tea Company was among the marchers. She said, "It was insane. There were people that couldn't even enter the area."

"We marched to the Capitol."

She said at first there was a lot of chanting, "Yelling things like USA." Christina said they marched to Capitol Hill. "We got to the Capitol building, there was already a ton of people there." She said she and her family weren't at the steps, "We were right next to the scaffolding."

Christina, her mother and her son left the Midlands on Tuesday and were in D.C. by 7 a.m. on Wednesday, leaving behind her dad and one other staff member. She said there wasn't enough staff to keep the business running, so they closed for two days.

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Columbia resident Erik Corcoran was among the chaos. He said, "We were there, with the right heart, and there is no way we would support that."

He said, "I remember suddenly looking up and seeing these black things coming at us and they were rubber bullets. I got hit in the leg. My left leg."

He said he was tear gassed and "almost passed out."

Erik said he was on the back side of the Capitol building and "never saw the steps."

There on his own, he said he linked with other protestors along the way "to be there with our patriots, to be there in a peaceful way, praying." He said he has no regrets about attending the rally. "For the thousands of people who were with me, who were praying and chanting USA, it was a tragedy."

Erik said after he almost passed out he left immediately. He just wishes it remained peaceful.

RELATED: Security concerns rise after chaos at the Capitol

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