US Capitol Police suspend officer who let visitor in with gun

The U.S. Capitol Police said Thursday they have suspended an officer who let a man armed with a gun into the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday.

The man, who was arrested Tuesday, was also able to enter the Library of Congress with a gun.

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In a statement, the USCP said it received a wanted notice Tuesday for a man “with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, who is believed to be armed and in the area.”

“At approximately 2:15 p.m., the man was found leaving the Library of Congress, after the tour, and heading towards his car. He was stopped, searched and arrested. A small 9mm handgun was discovered, concealed in his belt.” said the press release.

The USCP added that security video showed the man entering the Capitol Visitor Center earlier in the day.

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“After the magnetometers sounded, an officer conducted a secondary manual search and the man was let into the building. The officer is suspended while the USCP Office of Professional Responsibility conducts an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance during this search,” their statement said. said.

Capitol Police made it clear that no one was injured in the incident and that there was “no indication that the man was coming to harm Congress.”

The suspect is a 27-year-old man from Massachusetts. His case is in the hands of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This is the second high-profile incident involving someone attempting to bring weapons into the Capitol this month.

In early January, a Washington, D.C. man, armed with a machete and three knives, was arrested while trying to enter the Capitol to view former President Jimmy Carter lying in state.

The USCP said it would conduct a “full review” of the incident and require “mandatory refresher training on security controls, so this does not happen again.”