By Erika Hernandez
07 Nov 2023, 1:38 PM EST
The police arrested a man with a AR-15 rifle a park located outside the complex United States Capitol.
Through social networks, the Capitol police confirmed that the suspect was in custody after receiving an emergency call.
“USCP officers just arrested a man with a gun in the park across from Union Station. “At this time we have no reason to believe that there is an ongoing threat,” the Capitol Police wrote on the X social network.
“We are working to gather more information and will post more details when confirmed,” the post continued.
USCP Officers just arrested a man with a gun in the park across from Union Station. At this time we have no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat. We are working to gather more information and will put out more details when they are confirmed.
— The US Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) November 7, 2023
An officer told NBC News that it was a “man with an AR-15.”
The United States Capitol Police also said it is responding to a “suspicious package” in the upper Senate Park area.
Staff and pedestrians have been advised to avoid the area until more information is known. Columbus Circle between Louisiana and Delaware avenues NE and D Street between Louisiana and Delaware avenues NE are closed while police investigate.
In a recent update, authorities indicated that they were reviewing the report area to ensure that there is no other threat. “As a precaution, we are going to search the suspect’s belongings. The suspect is again in custody. Investigation ongoing,” the police added.
Openly carrying firearms in public is prohibited in Washington and on the grounds of the US Capitol.
The Senate is currently voting to confirm Biden’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) nominee, Monica Bertagnolli.
The House also meets today.
Earlier Tuesday, Republicans held a news conference with families of people taken hostage by Hamas one month after the horrific terrorist attack that killed more than 1,400 civilians.
Police have reportedly been preventing staff and journalists from leaving the building through the Senate carriage door.
Tuesday’s incident was the second involving a firearms arrest near the Capitol in the past three days.
On Sunday, two men were arrested after crashing a stolen car into a barricade in front of the Capitol. During their arrest it was discovered that they were in possession of two pistols, one of which was modified to convert the weapon into a machine gun.
In August, a false alarm of an active shooter sparked panic on Capitol Hill after a “bad” 911 call from a Senate office.
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