Police officer killed as driver rams car at the US Capitol

A police officer was killed and another seriously injured yesterday after a car ploughed into a barrier outside the US Capitol, prompting a major lockdown at a complex on high alert since a violent mob invaded earlier this year.

Capitol Police confirmed reports that shortly after 1pm local time a suspect rammed a vehicle into two officers. The driver then emerged with a knife and lunged at the officers before he was shot. The suspect was taken into custody but died a short while later.

Robert Contee, acting Washington DC police chief, said the suspect was not previously known to Capitol Police and the incident did not immediately appear to be terrorism related.

A spokesman from the Capitol Police said in a press briefing that it had been an “extremely difficult time” for their unit after the riot in January, which left a number of officers dead.

A video shared on social media appeared to show a dark Sedan smashed against a cordon painted with the word “Stop”, with the officers lying on the ground nearby.

A sniffer dog was on the scene checking for explosives before police cleared the area.

Stretchers were seen removing the wounded from the area and a helicopter landed in front of the east side of the Capitol building.

Neither the House nor Senate is in session this week, with politicians back in their home states over the Easter break.

President Joe Biden had left to spend the holiday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland shortly before the incident happened.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said there was a member of the national security team, an acting chief of staff and a member of the press team travelling with him, as was standard operating procedure.

When the incident took place, police alerted remaining staff: “Due to an external security threat located, all US Capitol campus buildings, no entry or exit is permitted at this time. You may move throughout the buildings but stay away from exterior windows and doors. If you are outside, seek cover.”

The National Guard, which has been stationed in Washington since the siege on the Capitol, was seen returning to the building after the incident.

It happened about 100 yards from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol. Fencing that prevented traffic near that area was recently removed as the Capitol has started to open up after the riots.

Constitution Avenue was shut off and was being guarded by dozens of soldiers and a large exclusion zone was set up around the Capitol.

The Capitol has been on heightened security alert since supporters of Donald Trump stormed the building in an attempt to overturn his presidential election defeat. Five people died as a direct result of the attack.

The incident is the latest security alert in Washington. On March 17 police arrested a Texas man outside the US Naval Observatory, the official residence of Kamala Harris, the vice-president, after a rifle and ammunition was found in his car.

Police said that Paul Murray, 31, a veteran from San Antonio, was in possession of a “large capacity ammunition feeding device”. Police reports said he had an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 113 rounds of unregistered ammunition and five 30 round magazines.

Online Editors