The man slammed his car into a barricade and started shooting. Photo: AP / Daniel Slim.
A man rammed his car into a barricade near the United States Congress early Sunday morning and then began firing shots in the air from the burning vehicle before committing suicide, police said.
The incident occurred shortly before 4 am at a vehicle barricade located between East Capitol Street NE and 2nd Street SE, Washington, a few meters from the United States Congress building.
Authorities said the man, whose identity has not been released, crashed into the barricade and as he got out of the car, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. She then began shooting in the air as the police approached.
The Capitol police said so the assailant shot himself when the officers approached, and shortly after he was pronounced dead.
The police said so “It doesn’t look like the man was targeting a congressman.” and that man’s past is being examined to determine the reason for what happened. Both the House and the Senate are on hiatus and very few staff members work in the Capitol complex at the time.
The incident comes as law enforcement agencies across the country face a growing number of threats and federal authorities have warned the potential for violent attacks on government buildings after the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida a few days ago.
The attack recalls the incident in which a man rammed a vehicle into two Capitol police officers at a checkpoint in April 2021, killing one of them. Many on Capitol Hill remain nervous after Trump supporters stormed Congress on January 6, 2021, claiming election fraud.
Authorities said no other injuries were reported and police officers at the scene of the incident are not believed to have returned fire.
Source: AP
Source: Clarin
