The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) announced the arrest of an individual who tried to set his car on fire near the U.S. Capitol building while President-elect Trump was visiting late Wednesday.
“Twice today our officers prevented a man who could have posed a threat to the Capitol Hill community,” stated U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “This level of alertness is crucial during this period of heightened security.”
The USCP reported that during Trump’s meeting with Republican senators and his time honoring President Carter, a 35-year-old man from Virginia attempted to set his car ablaze.
A general view of the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Police reported 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 ignited a bag on top of his vehicle.
Upon approaching the man, officers observed the bag extinguishing on its own.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jason Reed)
As a precaution, the USCP declared the vehicle suspicious, and the agency’s Hazardous Incident Response Division inspected the vehicle.
Authorities confirmed that the car posed no threat around 7 p.m.
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The car had been vandalized. Investigators discovered accelerants in the bag.
The driver was apprehended for illegal activities.
