U.S. Capitol Police officers stand near a car that crashed into a barrier on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, April 2, 2021.
AP Photo | J. Scott Applewhite
The U.S. Capitol complex was placed on lockdown Friday after a vehicle rammed into two U.S. Capitol Police officers, according to law enforcement.
The suspect and a U.S. Capitol Police officer have both died, a law enforcement representative announced at a press conference Friday afternoon. Another law enforcement representative added that the event currently “does not appear to be terrorism-related,” but noted further investigation would be necessary.
Capitol Police said in a statement shortly after 2:40 p.m. that the threat has been “neutralized” but continued to restrict entry and exits from the campus “out of an abundance of caution.”
Capitol Police confirmed at the press conference that the driver jumped out of the car with a knife after ramming the vehicle into the barricade. The driver then lunged toward the officers, at which point the officers shot the suspect.
The second officer was also injured in the incident, according to the Capitol Police.
The incident occurred at North Barricade vehicle access point along Constitution Avenue shortly after 1 p.m., the Capitol Police said. Congress was not in session when the event occurred, but there has been increased security presence at the Capitol since the insurrection that took place there on Jan. 6.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in light of the death of the Capitol Police officer, a spokesperson for her office said in a statement.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
