Officer suspended after man with gun allowed into Capitol for tour
Jan 23, 2025
A man was arrested and an officer was suspended after the man was able to pass through security with a gun and enter the U.S. Capitol for a tour on Tuesday, authorities say. It happened amid heightened security in D.C. on President Donald Trump’s first full day in office.
The man, a 27-year-old from Massachusetts, was found carrying a 9 mm handgun concealed in his waistband, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement Thursday.
No one was hurt and “there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress,” police said.
Police said they were told to be on the lookout for ”a man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area,” they said.
Officers spotted the man’s car on 1st Street NE near East Capitol Street at about 1:15 p.m. They began to search the area and learned he had recently entered the Capitol Visitor Center and taken a tour of the Capitol.
At about 2:15 p.m., officers saw him leaving the Library of Congress after the tour and walking toward his car. He was stopped, searched and arrested, and officers found the gun, they said.
Security video showed the man entered the Capitol Visitor Center through the south checkpoint, police said. Magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a “secondary hand search” and he was let into the building.
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The officer was suspended, and the Capitol Police Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation into what went wrong.
“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,” the department said.
Police accused the man of carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm and resisting arrest, among other charges. The case is before the U.S. attorney’s office.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.