All clear after shots fired near U.S. Capitol; suspect taken into custody
A police officer checks out a car on grass with his canine near the U.S. Capitol October 3, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The US Capitol and the White House were placed on lockdown after an 'active shooter' situation was reported. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Chris Moody and Dylan Stableford
Oct 4, 2013
WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police lifted a shelter-in-place warning at all U.S. Senate office buildings on Thursday after multiple shots were heard in the area after a female suspect who struck a barrier near the White House with her car led police on car chase that ended near Capitol Hill.
A U.S. Capitol Police spokesman said that one officer was injured in a crash while pursuing the woman.
The Associated Press reported a woman was in police custody. Earlier, ABC News and Reuters reported the suspect was dead. Chief Kim Dine of the U.S. Capitol Police told reporters he did not know the condition of the suspect, but did confirm that police located a child inside the suspect’s car.
“We have no information that this is related to terrorism or is anything other than an isolated incident,” a police sergeant told reporters.
Tim Wilson, a spokesperson with the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department, told Yahoo News that medical personnel transported one patient from the scene who suffered life-threatening injuries. He would not give the gender of the patient or the nature of the injuries.
Earlier, police could be seen swarming the grounds near the Capitol Building with guns drawn.
Yahoo News reporter Chris Moody was outside the Capitol when he heard three shots ring out.
About half a dozen police cars sped west down Constitution Avenue toward the scene. Moments later, other police vehicles sped back the other way.
Capitol Police told tourists and staffers near the Capitol Building to walk south past the U.S. House's congressional offices, and all buildings were locked down.
"Close, lock and stay away from external doors and windows," the alert issued early Thursday afternoon, read. "Take your annunciators, emergency supply kits or go kits, and escape hoods. Move to your office's shelter in place location or the innermost part of your office suites and check in with your OEC." Other staffers waited outside until the lockdown was later lifted.
One eyewitness told Yahoo News she saw a black car being chased by police and they surrounded the suspect when the shots rang out.
"Police were shooting at [the car]," a witness told Yahoo News. "They had [the driver] blocked up and he kept going around the Capitol Building and around and around. Then I heard a loud crash on the other side of the Capitol."
Another witness said police began shooting when the car sped off after being trapped.
"We saw a black car and a couple of cop cars behind him," that witness said. "He kind of got stuck in front of the Capitol building where the pillars are. The cops got out of their car and surrounded [the suspect] and started yelling. Somehow [the car] turned around and almost hit a couple of them and that's when the cops started shooting."
Outside the White House, white-uniformed agents of the Secret Service kept tourists across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House gates, behind crowd barriers typically deployed when a visiting head of state is staying at Blair House, nearby.
