Man Rams Car into 2 US Capitol Police
A Capitol Police officer died Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade in front of the United States Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife. It was the second death in the line of duty this year for a department still struggling to recover from the January 6 insurrection.
The video shows the driver of the crashed car emerging with a knife in hand and starting to run towards the pair of officers, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters. Authorities shot the suspect, who died in a hospital.
Two law enforcement officers told The Associated Press that the suspect stabbed one of the officers. Officials who spoke to the AP were not authorized to publicly discuss the pending investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“I only ask that the public continue to keep the United States Capitol Police and their families in their prayers,” Pittman said. “This has been an extremely difficult time for the United States Capitol Police after the events of January 6 and now the events that have occurred here today.” Police identified the slain officer as William – Billy – Evans, an 18-year veteran who was a member of the department’s first aid unit.
Authorities said there was no ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism, although the Capitol was closed as a precaution. There was also no apparent immediate connection between Friday’s crash and the January 6 riot.
The accident and shooting occurred at a security checkpoint near the Capitol that is generally used by senators and staff during the week, although most are away from the building during the current recess. The attack occurred about 100 yards (91 meters) from the building’s entrance on the Senate side of the Capitol. A witness, the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, said he was finishing a Good Friday service nearby when he suddenly heard three shots.
It comes as the Washington region remains nervous nearly three months after a mob of armed insurgents loyal to former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress voted to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
Five people were killed in the January 6 riot, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a greatly outnumbered force attempting to fight insurgents seeking to reverse the elections. Authorities installed a high perimeter fence around the Capitol and restricted traffic on the roads closest to the building for months but had begun to remove some of the emergency measures in recent weeks. The fence that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed.
Law enforcement officials identified the murdered suspect as 25-year-old Noah Green. Investigators were running a background check on the suspect and examining whether he had any mental health history as they tried to discern a motive. They were working to obtain access orders to their accounts online.
Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on police radar. But the attack underscores that the building and campus, and the officers tasked with protecting them, remain potential targets of violence.
Evans is the seventh member of the Capitol Police to die in the line of duty in the department’s history, according to Officer Down Memorial Page, who tracks law enforcement deaths. Two officers, one from the Capitol Police and one from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, died by suicide after the January 6 attack.
Nearly 140 Capitol Police officers were injured at the time, including helmetless officers who sustained head injuries and one officer with broken ribs, according to the officers’ union. The National Guard took hours to arrive, a delay that has prompted months of accusations among top decision-makers that day.
Soon after, they were asked to secure the Capitol during Biden’s inauguration and faced another potential threat in early March linked to conspiracy theories that falsely claimed that Trump would regain the presidency.
“Today, once again, these heroes risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our country, with the same extraordinary selflessness and spirit of service that was seen on January 6,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it’s a statement. “On behalf of the entire House, we are deeply grateful.”
The suspect had been taken to hospital in critical condition. One of the agents who was injured was taken by police vehicle to the hospital; the other was transported by emergency medical teams.
The US Capitol complex was closed after the shooting and staff were told they could not enter or leave the buildings. The video showed National Guard troops mobilizing near the accident area.
Video posted online showed a dark-colored sedan crashing into the barrier of a vehicle and a K-9 police officer inspecting the vehicle. Law enforcement officers and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified person.
Biden had just left the White House for Camp David when the attack occurred. As usual, he was traveling with a National Security Council staff member who was expected to brief him on the incident.
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