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Man arrested after trying to bring hammer into Capitol, police say

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March 9, 2024 at 10:49 a.m. EST
The U.S. Capitol last month. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP)
1 min

A man was arrested Friday after trying to get into the U.S. Capitol with a hammer and struggling with police officers, authorities said.

Christopher Snow, 33, of Canton, Ohio, entered the Capitol Visitor Center around 3:40 p.m. and put his backpack through an X-ray machine, U.S. Capitol Police said. An officer noticed that the scan showed a hammer inside and attempted to look in the bag, but Snow grabbed it and became combative, police said.

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Several officers intervened and a struggle ensued, police said. Officers used a Taser to stop Snow and took him into custody. Police said they found a hammer in his backpack.

“These officers did what they were trained to do and stopped this man from getting into the U.S. Capitol,” Capitol Police Capt. Andrew Pecher said in a statement.

Snow was charged with assault on a police officer. Investigators are trying to determine why Snow brought a hammer to the Capitol.

It was not immediately clear Saturday whether Snow has an attorney.