Vehicle Ramming Attack Hits U.S. Capitol With Shots Fired & Injuries Reported

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As security precautions remain in place around the U.S. Capitol following the rioting at the complex in January, a vehicle ramming attack has suddenly unfolded outside of the building’s northern entry. According to initial reports, two Capitol Police officers have been injured in connection to the Friday afternoon incident, and they along with the suspect have been transported to a local hospital, according to Capitol Police. A spokesperson for the Fire and EMS department for Washington, D.C., confirmed that at least one person, who turned out to be the suspect, had been shot at the scene. The suspect has since died.

UPDATE: One of the injured officers has died, authorities say.

As the incident unfolded, the Capitol complex went on lockdown with “no entry or exit” allowed, according to an alert that went out. The injured officers were hit by the vehicle, and the driver, whose identity was not immediately available, appears to have attempted to ram through one of the barricades that have been set up around the Capitol. Subsequently, the driver reportedly leaped out of the vehicle while holding a knife, and at that point, they were shot by Capitol Police.

Most members of Congress were not “near” the building at the time of the incident, according to The New York Times, because the chambers are currently on recess. On a similar note, President Joe Biden was not in D.C. at the time of the attack after having left for Camp David prior to the incident. According to HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic, the entrance where the attack unfolded is “where most senators and staff normally enter the Capitol.”

Folks on the scene shared that a helicopter had landed onsite, although the nature of the craft’s presence wasn’t immediately clear. National Guard troops promptly showed up at the scene of the attack. Any political inclination on the part of the attacker wasn’t immediately clear, but it seems safe to suspect that there is an ideological connection to the far-right extremism that grew into the Capitol rioting in January. Just recently, ex-President Trump, whose rhetoric drove the violence, grossly mischaracterized what took place, claiming that his supporters were “hugging and kissing the police and the guards,”

Check out footage from the scene showing the helicopter and National Guard troops below: