Man Arrested for Attempting to Set Car on Fire on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — A 35-year-old Virginia man was arrested Wednesday evening after he attempted to set his car on fire near the Grant Memorial on Capitol Hill.
The arrest was made shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night, after U.S. Capitol Police were alerted to the presence of a man who had parked his car on First Street NW, placed a bag on its roof and then lit the bag on fire.
As they ran toward the man, identified as Adrian J. Hinton, and his vehicle, the fire went out on its own; at that point, the man was promptly arrested.
The incident occurred only hours after a District of Columbia resident tried to enter the Capitol with a machete and multiple knives.
Out of an abundance of caution, the vehicle in the second incident was declared suspicious, prompting an investigation by the Capitol Police’s Hazardous Incident Response Division.
Officials ultimately determined that the car was not a danger, and that the accelerants in the man’s possession were all in the bag.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger in a written statement. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
Hinton was arrested for Unlawful Activities.
While the specific motive is still under investigation, officials do not believe there is an ongoing threat.
This case is not believed to be connected to the earlier arrest at the Capitol Visitor Center entrance.
Neither incident disrupted the vigil related to former President Jimmy Carter’s lying in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
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