Capitol Police Conducting Review After Armed Man Enters Capitol, Library of Congress
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol Police Department is conducting an administrative investigation after a man armed with a 9 mm pistol was allowed to enter both the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress Tuesday afternoon.
According to a statement from the department, it was notified to be on the lookout for an armed man with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be somewhere on Capitol Hill.
At about 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, officers spotted the man’s car on First Street, near East Capitol Street, NE, and during the ensuing canvas discovered he’d entered the Capitol Visitor Center and taken a Capitol tour.
About an hour later, at around 2:15 p.m., the man, who was subsequently identified as 27-year-old James A. Faber, of Massachusetts, was found leaving the Library of Congress after the tour and walking towards his car.
Officers stopped Faber, and during a search discovered a small, 9 mm handgun in his waistband.
He was immediately arrested and has been charged with engaging in unlawful activities, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and resisting arrest.
The case is currently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Authorities later reviewed a Capitol Police security video that showed Faber entering through the Capitol Visitor Center’s south checkpoint.
After the magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a secondary hand search, and the man was allowed into the building.
The officer is suspended while the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducts an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance of that search.
“At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress,” the department said in a written statement. “Thankfully nobody was hurt. The USCP demands the highest standards when it comes to screening visitors, so a full review of this incident has already been ordered, as well as mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again.”
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue
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