At least one US Capitol police officer has died after being struck by a suspect in a vehicle, officials have said.
Another officer was hospitalised with injuries, and the suspect is dead, acting US Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman said.
Officers reportedly shot the suspect when he exited the vehicle and lunged toward them with a knife.
Police identified the officer killed as William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the department.
Image from the US Capitol show a vehicle that crashed into a barricade. pic.twitter.com/sS2R13cyQN
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 2, 2021
The incident took place at the northwestern entrance of the US Capitol, where senators and staff normally enter the building. The outermost fence perimeter police set up in the wake of the January 6 attack was removed last week, opening the area to public traffic.
Footage from outside Congress showed two stretchers and a large gathering of law enforcement officers.
Large police presence and two stretchers being brought out pic.twitter.com/EmidoLP0PT
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) April 2, 2021
The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington DC is handling the investigation into the attack.
Metro chief Robert Conti said that as of now, “it does not appear that [the driver] is known to the Capitol Police or the Metropolitan Police Department” and that the attack “does not appear to be terrorism-related.”
Multiple media outlets later confirmed with law enforcement that the driver was 25-year-old Noah Green of Indiana.
Congress is currently on recess and politicians are out of town. President Joe Biden is currently at Camp David receiving information about the incident, the White House said.
The president is now at Camp David and @presssec says as always he has a national security team with him that can provide information about events like the security situation unfolding at the US Capitol.
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) April 2, 2021
A USCP officer just told me “someone just got shot” — officers and national guard aren’t letting anyone past the outer perimeter where the fence used to be on 2nd St NE
— Arthur Delaney (@ArthurDelaneyHP) April 2, 2021
Friday’s incident is the first attempted security breach since supporters of former US president Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol in hopes of preventing Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
More than 140 Capitol Police officers suffered injuries during the attack. Five people died during or shortly after.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for U.S. Capitol Police after the events of January 6th, and now the events that have occurred here today,” Pittman said.
Capitol Police lifted a lockdown at the Capitol shortly after the press conference, saying the area was clear of any more threats. The crime scene, however, remains restricted.
Igor Bobic contributed reporting.