WEB DESK
One US Capitol Police officer has died and another is injured after a suspect rammed a vehicle into a police barricade outside the Capitol building Friday afternoon, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told media persons.
Pittman said the suspect in the attack has also died. The suspect was not on the radar of the US Capitol Police before the attack, but the attack does not appear to be terrorism-related, police said in an afternoon briefing.
Pittman added that the scene is still being processed, and the investigation is ongoing. The DC Metropolitan Police said there is no indication of an ongoing threat. Pittman said she will not release the name of the officer until the officer’s family is notified.
The violent attack was the most serious security threat at the Capitol since the deadly Jan. 6 attack that injured dozens and killed five people. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered flags flown at half-mast at the complex in honor of the fallen officer.
Around 2:30 p.m., the Capitol Police said that the threat to the building had “been neutralized” and that people could move freely throughout the building, but that no entry or exit was yet permitted.
The Capitol went into lockdown around 1 p.m. on what had been a quiet, sunny Friday, with the police instructing staff to remain indoors, away from doors and windows, and to “seek cover” if they were outside, citing an unspecified “external security threat.”