The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said that they arrested a person who attempted to set his car ablaze near the U.S. Capitol building during President-elect Trump’s visit late Wednesday.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
The agency said that during Trump’s visit with Republican senators and his time paying respect to President Carter, a 35-year-old man from Virginia attempted to set his car on fire.
A general view of the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst )
Police said that just before 5:30 p.m., USCP officers were alerted to a man who had parked on First Street, NW, near the Grant Memorial, and had lit a bag on fire atop his vehicle.
When officers ran over to the man, the bag extinguished on its own.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jason Reed)
Out of an abundance of caution, the USCP said that the vehicle was declared suspicious, and the agency’s Hazardous Incident Response Division cleared the vehicle.
Officials determined that the car was not a danger at approximately 7 p.m.
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The car had been spray-painted. Investigators determined that accelerants were in the bag.
The driver was arrested for unlawful activities.
