A man with a gun was arrested Tuesday across from Union Station on Capitol Hill, U.S. Capitol Police say.
Someone spotted the man walking around with a "long gun" in the park alongside Delaware Avenue NE in front of Union Station about 12:30 p.m., police said. Capitol Police said they found the man moments later and commanded him to drop the weapon. Officers then tased him when he didn't comply, police said.
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U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the suspect, 21-year-old Ahmir Lavon Merrell, of Atlanta, is a registered sex offender in Georgia. Medics took Merrell to a hospital in an ambulance and he's expected to be OK after the tasering, police said.
Manger said police still don't know why he was there with a gun, which he said resembled an AR-15. Police described the gun as a semi-automatic weapon.
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“Based on our officers’ limited contact and limited conversation with Mr. Merrell, there is some indication that he may be dealing with some mental health issues, but we don’t know that. We don’t know why he was in the park with a gun. He made no statements as to why he was here or what he intended to do. Again, it’s still an ongoing investigation," Merrell said.
Hours after the arrest, bomb technicians were still searching a backpack police said Merrell carried. Officers cleared the park while they investigated.
Officers were seen sprinting out to the Capitol as the incident unfolded, and others followed. The small park isn't far from three Senate office buildings.
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Police said they "have no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat."
Police aren't sure how the suspect got to the park, whether it was via public transportation, on foot or he drove.
Columbus Circle between Louisiana and Delaware avenues NE and D Street between Louisiana and Delaware avenues NE are shut down as police investigate.
On Sunday, a man with a modified gun was arrested after a car crashed into a barrier near the Capitol Building, police said. Court documents said he was out of jail on supervised release after a previous gun charge.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
