US Capitol Police Tasered and arrested a Georgia man who was carrying a gun in front of the legislative branch Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities said they received a report of a man armed with a “long gun” walking in the park across from Union Station at about 12:40 p.m.
Officers found the suspect moments later and ordered him to drop the weapon — then shot him with a Taser when he didn’t comply.
Capitol Police arrest an armed man outside the Senate office building in Washington, DC on November 7, 2023. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images The man was reportedly carrying an AR-15 rifle. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images The gunman was taken into custody at park next to Union Station. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger identified the suspect as Ahmir Lavon Merrell, 21, of Atlanta, a registered sex offender in the Peach State with a warrant out for his arrest on a probation violation.
The snap shows Merrell wearing a brown sweatshirt with the logo “Boominati Worldwide,” a reference to the record label founded by rap producer Metro Boomin.
The park where Merrell was arrested is close to three Senate office buildings north of the Capitol itself and nearby streets were closed for about two hours as officers searched his belongings and the surrounding area.
The suspect was put into an ambulance after the arrest. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Members of Congress, staff and the press were advised to avoid the Upper Senate Park area — just north of the US Capitol building across Constitution Avenue — until around 3 p.m., when bomb technicians finished searching their backpacks, Merrell said.
“Based on our officers’ limited contact and limited conversations with Mr. Merrell, there are some indications that he may be dealing with some mental health issues, but we don’t know that,” Manger said. “We don’t know why he was in the park with a gun. He made no statement about why he was here or what he intended to do. Again, it’s still an ongoing investigation.”
However, authorities said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the Capitol complex.
Merrell has been charged with felon in possession of a firearm, possession of unregistered ammunition, possession of an unregistered firearm, being a fugitive from justice and unlawful activity.
Gun seized by Capitol Police.USCP
“‘See something, say something’ is not just an empty slogan. We are grateful to the individual who alerted our officers to the man with the gun in the park,” Manger said in a statement. “The police immediately ran towards the man with a loaded gun. As always — I am proud of our police.”
Carrying a firearm in public is illegal in Washington, DC, and firearms are not allowed on the Capitol grounds. The USCP says it has seized more than 30 firearms so far this year.
Tensions remain high in the capital following a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, DC, on Saturday, where tens of thousands of protesters marched and later surrounded the White House.
A police officer handling a gun after an arrest. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Demonstrators chanted “Allahu akbar” and “F–k Joe Biden,” calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s war with Hamas terrorists.
They also pounded on the door of the executive mansion and painted bloody handprints on its white bricks, accusing the president of genocide because his administration continues to support the Jewish state.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
