Driver Detained After Hitting US Capitol Police Car

VOA News
Last Updated: 29 March 2017 (11:47AM)

Police in Washington said a woman who appeared to be “erratic and aggressive” rammed her car into a police cruiser near the U.S. Capitol Wednesday morning before being arrested.

Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki was quick to avert any terror allegations, saying the event showed “no nexus of terrorism.”

Malecki said police attempted to stop the vehicle when the driver pulled a U-turn and attempted to flee. Police fired several shots in their attempt to stop the suspect.

Zachary Yanta, a state director with Texas Farm Bureau, in town to lobby Congressman Vincente Gonzales, told VOA he was riding in a cab to the Capitol for a 10 o’clock appointment when the suspect’s car sped by.

He said a line of police cars followed the car as it passed his cab. He then heard three gun shots before police swarmed the vehicle.

“The response reassured me about my personal safety [at the Capitol] … It was very much reassuring to see the quick response,” he said.

Ambulances responded to the scene, though no one was taken to the hospital, D.C. fire department spokesman Doug Buchanan said. Given the proximity of the incident to the U.S. Capitol, it drew a large police response and several streets near the Capitol were closed by police.

Lawmakers were told to stay away from the area, though the Senate and House of Representatives went ahead with planned sessions just minutes after the incident took place.