Man fatally shoots self after crashing car into barricade near US Capitol Building
Aug 14, 2022, 12:00 PM
The Capitol is seen in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
(CNN) — A man shot and killed himself after driving into a vehicle barricade near the US Capitol Building early Sunday morning, US Capitol Police said.
The incident happened shortly after 4 a.m. ET, when the man drove his car into a barricade at East Capitol Street and Second Street. He then exited his car, which became “engulfed in flames,” and fired several shots into the air, Capitol Police said in a statement.
He then fatally shot himself when authorities approached him. There were no additional injuries and the man’s name was not immediately released, according to the statement.
“At this time, it does not appear the man was targeting any Members of Congress, who are on recess, and it does not appear officers fired their weapons,” the statement read. “Our investigators are looking into the man’s background.”
DC’s Metropolitan Police Department is handling the death investigation, the statement said.
US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger declined to release the name of the man during a news conference later Sunday, saying his family had not yet been notified.
Manger added that the man had a criminal history from “over the past 10 years or so,” but that there was no information to indicate motive and “no political ideology that we’re aware of at this point.”
Capitol Police are looking through security videos of the incident for more information on any possible intentions, the chief said.
Manger said no other weapons were found on scene, and that the only identifiable items remaining in the car in question were aerosol cans, which caught on fire shortly after the driver crashed into the barricade. The DC Fire Department is investigating whether the man started the fire himself, the USCP chief added.
Though Manger said that the USCP has taken increased precautions in recent days following threats to other law enforcement agencies, he said the force will not be adjusting the size of its presence at the Capitol in response to Sunday’s incident.
“I think that what we have in place is adequate for now,” he told reporters.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
