On Friday afternoon, an unidentified driver rammed a vehicle into the barricade north of the Capitol Building. Two members of the Capitol Police were injured and taken away on stretchers with some reports from the scene saying these injuries were “critical.”
Capitol Police report that the driver has been taken into custody. There were earlier reports of shots fired, possibly at the driver. Reports indicate that the driver was also injured and has been taken to the hospital, though it is unclear whether the driver was actually shot. The driver apparently got out of the car with a knife, and some reports indicate that the officers may have been cut or stabbed.
The incident generated a flurry of police activity on the Capitol grounds, which included dozens of officers swarming the location, a lockdown warning advising everyone in the Capitol complex to stay away from doors and windows, and a helicopter doing a touch-and-go landing on the grounds.
Updates will be made as more information becomes available.
Friday, Apr 2, 2021 · 6:49:35 PM +00:00 · Laura Clawson
Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee says that at this point it’s not believed to be an ongoing threat and does not appear to be terrorism-related. Both he and Pittman emphasize that this is the early stage of the investigation, and Pittman says the suspect was not on file with Capitol Police as a known threat to a member of Congress. Pittman says the suspect was waving a knife but that video does not show him wrestling with the officers.
