Capitol Police Arrest Armed Man Near Senate Side of US Capitol
WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police arrested a Georgia man on Tuesday after a passerby reported seeing him carrying a “long gun” in the park near the Russell Senate Office Building.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said an unidentified individual alerted officers to the presence of a man with a gun in the park that runs alongside Delaware Avenue NE at about 12:30 p.m.
Police responding to the area found 21-year-old Ahmir Lavon Merrell, of Atlanta, Georgia, walking with what appeared to be an AR-15 assault rifle.
When Merrell did not comply with a command that he drop the weapon, officers tased him.
Following his arrest, he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
At the moment, no one knows why Merrell was in the vicinity of the Capitol with a gun, but Manger said based on officers’ limited contact with him, “there is some indication that he may be dealing with some mental health issues.”
Manger stressed, however, that authorities don’t know that for certain.
“We don’t know why he was in the park with a gun. He made no statements as to why he was here or what he intended to do. Again, it’s still an ongoing investigation,” the police chief said.
Merrell is reportedly a registered sex offender in Georgia. After his arrest, police kept the park secured and searched his belongings.
Law enforcement officers are also checking security and traffic cameras in the area to see where Merrell may have come from.
Manger told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that Merrell will be charged with unlawfully carrying a firearm on Capitol grounds and could face additional counts.
As the investigation was unfolding, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sent an email to reporters in which he noted the suspect’s arrest and said, “as we await more information, the safety of our members and of our staff remain of paramount importance.”
“Weapons of war have no place on our streets, and I am grateful to the brave members of the U.S.C.P. who acted swiftly to apprehend the suspect and protect the Capitol Hill community,” Jeffries said.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
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