Several governmental buildings in Washington, D.C., were evacuated Thursday morning due to what Capitol Police call “an active bomb threat investigation” after a man drove a pickup truck onto a sidewalk.
Law enforcement negotiators are working to make contact with the person in the vehicle, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Negotiation is still ongoing to have a “peaceful resolution” and the suspect’s motives were unknown, Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in a press conference around noon local time.
The suspect told responding officers he had a bomb, and responding officers said he had what appeared to be a detonator in his hand, Manger said.
Authorities are also investigating a video posted to Facebook that purports to have been posted by the man in the vehicle.
This is an ongoing investigation.
We are monitoring this situation closely and will update this account as we get information we can release.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 19, 2021
The Cannon House Office Building, a congressional office building, was evacuated via underground routes. The Library of Congress and Supreme Court building were also evacuated. Both the Supreme Court and Congress are on recess.
Messages have been sent to congressional staffers asking that they “remain calm and relocate to Longworth House Office Building using the underground tunnels.”
Senate staff were asked in a message to “remain clear of the police activity” and to “please move indoors” if they were outside on Capitol grounds.
The FBI said it’s responding. The White House is monitoring the situation and is receiving updates from law enforcement, according to an administration official.