Two Capitol cops are injured after car smashes through barrier at Independence Avenue
Capitol in lockdown after two cops are mowed down by a suspect who plowed his car through a barrier ‘then emerged with a knife’ before being shot
- Two Capitol cops have been critically injured after being run over by the suspect
- After coming to a stop, the driver is said to have emerged from his car holding a knife
- He was then shot by another cop and is in custody; his condition is unclear
- The incident sparked panic and chaos at the Capitol which is still reeling from the January 6 riot
- There were confused reports initially of a mass shooting; multiple police agencies are on the scene
The US Capitol is in lockdown after a suspect mowed his car through a barrier, critically injuring two cops, and then reportedly emerged with a knife before being shot.
The suspect has not been named but he is in custody.
According to NBC, the suspect is now dead but Capitol police are yet to confirm that.
At around 1.10pm, chaos unfolded at the Capitol as he plowed through a barrier, squashing the two cops, before coming to a stop. A Washington Post reporter tweeted that the suspect then got out of the car holding a knife, before being shot by another officer.
The two injured cops were removed on stretchers and are now in the hospital in a critical condition.
It’s unclear what the suspect’s condition is.
Two Capitol cops were injured on Friday after a car smashed into a barrier on Independence Avenue
A helicopter landing on the East Front of the Capitol on Friday amid reports of a person being shot
This text was sent to government workers at the Complex on Friday afternoon
‘USCP is responding to the North Barricade vehicle access point along Independence Avenue for reports someone rammed a vehicle into two USCP officers
‘A suspect is in custody. Both officers are injured.
‘All three have been transported to the hospital,’ Capitol Police said in a tweet.
It comes only a few months after hundreds of rioters stormed the Capitol, outnumbering the police force, on January 6.
Neither the House or Senate is in session this week so lawmakers are back in their home states instead of being in the Capitol building.
The White House did not appear to have an immediate change in security posture in response to the situation at the Capitol. President Joe Biden had left to spend Easter at Camp David shortly before the incident occurred.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there is a member of the national security team, an acting chief of staff and a member of the press team traveling with him, as is standard operating procedure.
Traveling with Biden this weekend are Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff Yohannes Abraham, Chief of Staff & Executive Secretary for the National Security Council; Anthony Bernal, Assistant to the President & Advisor to the First Lady; and Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President & Personal Aide to the President.
