US Capitol on shutdown after police officer killed in vehicle attack

A motorist rammed a vehicle into U.S. Capitol police on Friday and brandished a knife, killing one officer and injuring another and forcing the Capitol complex to lockdown in an attack that police said did not immediately appear to be terrorism-related.

Police responded by firing on the suspect, who died.

Yogananda Pittman, acting chief of the United States Capitol Police, told a news conference that he drove into the officers then hit a barricade and got out of the car, lunging at them with a knife in his hand.

.S. Capitol Police investigate following a security threat at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Al Drago

One officer was killed and the other was injured, she said.

“It does not appear to be terrorism-related but obviously we’ll continue to investigate,” said Robert Contee, acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington.

Police said the suspect was unknown to them, they had yet to determine what had motivated him, and they did not identify him.

“Clearly this was someone who was actively trying to just get at whoever or whatever – we just don’t know right now, so we have a responsibility to investigate that to get to the bottom of this. Whether the attack was at law enforcement, or whoever, we have a responsibility to get to the bottom of it and we’ll do that,” Contee said.

Dozens of police cars, marked and unmarked, raced toward the iconic domed white building, in an unwelcome reminder of Jan. 6, when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump overran the complex.

U.S. spy agencies warned in mid-March of an ongoing threat that racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, will carry out mass-casualty attacks on civilians while militia groups target police and government personnel and buildings.

Roads leading to the complex were blocked by police cars or officers and people inside the Capitol were told to stay away for much of the afternoon before police announced that the lockdown had been lifted.

Members of Congress were not in Washington on Friday, with both the Senate and House of Representatives in recess for the Easter holiday.

Dozens of National Guard troops, who have been stationed at the Capitol since the January attack, quickly deployed. Heavily armed and in riot gear, they jogged in columns to stand in rows at the scene and around the complex.

LIGHTER SECURITY

U.S. Capitol police surround a blue car that rammed a police barricade outside the U.S. Capitol building in an incident that reportedly resulted in the death of one Capitol police officer, the injury of another officer and the death of the driver as a result of police gunfire on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. April 2, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

Authorities have begun only in the past couple of weeks to remove the outer ring of high, razor-wire-topped fencing erected around the sprawling Capitol complex after the Jan. 6 rampage. Many of the thousands of National Guard troops posted at the building in January had also been sent home.

Lawmakers have been arguing about how much security should remain on Capitol Hill, which is a popular park for city residents as well as the seat of government. Members of Congress from both political parties have introduced legislation to make it illegal to erect permanent fencing around the building.

The Jan. 6 assault took place while the House of Representatives and Senate, with the Senate presided over by then-Vice President Mike Pence, was certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s November election victory over the Republican Trump.

At the time Trump’s supporters shouted slogans including “Stop the Steal” and “Hang Mike Pence” as they attacked the Capitol and said they hoped to stop the election certification.

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Biden took office on Jan. 20.

“This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police after the events of Jan. 6 and now the events that have occurred here today. So I ask that you keep our U.S. Capitol Police family in your thoughts and prayers,” Pittman said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be lowered to half staff in honor of the slain officer.

Biden also was out of the city, although the White House said he was aware of the incident. He arrived at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland early on Friday afternoon.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Doina Chiacu, David Brunnstrom and Nathan Layne; Writing by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Howard Goller)