The Capitol is seen amid autumn's last leaves one week before the crucial midterm elections, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
By Lindsay Whitehurst
A man with a rifle was arrested in a park near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, police said.
Police confronted 21-year-old Ahmir Lavon Merrell of Atlanta after someone saw him with the gun in a park near Senate office buildings and told an officer, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. Officers demanded that he drop the gun, but he refused and they used a Taser stun gun to subdue him, police said.
The park and roads in the area across from Washington’s Union Station were closed for about two hours as officers searched the area and Merrell's belongings.
Officers said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat. It was not immediately clear why he was in Washington. No publicly listed contacts were available for him, and a lawyer who represented him on a previous case did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he was proud of officers who “ran toward the man with the loaded gun.”
Carrying firearms is prohibited on U.S. Capitol grounds. So far this year, U.S. Capitol Police have confiscated more than 30 guns.
After the arrest, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports a ban on guns often referred to as assault weapons. “We are keeping a constant vigilance on security” in the Capitol, he said.
Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this story.
We know life can be tough sometimes, so we'd like to take a moment to share One Good Thing happening in the world today. A Wisconsin woman has gone viral after taking in a stray cat that had been coming to her door every single day for a few weeks.
Families of passengers who died in the crash of a Boeing 737 Max in Ethiopia can seek damages for the pain and terror suffered by victims in the minutes before the plane flew nose-down into the ground, a federal judge has ruled.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia, and the Carter Center said her family wanted to share her health news to increase important conversations around the country. According to the CDC, there are about 5.8 million people in the United states living with dementia. Here to help us understand this complex disease is Dr. Jen Caudle, family physician and associate professor at Rowan University.
Cheddar News anchor Shannon LaNier has a chat with sensory illusionist Jeanette Andrews about making use of all five senses in creating the illusion of magic.
A 15-year-old drowned on Sunday at a beach on Sandy Hook in New Jersey. The teen was among a group of six swimmers, five of whom survived after being rescued, who were swimming in an area without a lifeguard.
According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people with high levels of the antioxidant 'flavanols,' in their diet have better memory function than those who don't.
