Noises made by construction workers in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill were mistaken for gunshots and caused police to lockdown the building for five hours Friday while officials investigated.

An unidentified female congressional staffer called police at 10:30 a.m. to report gunshots, said Capitol Hill Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider.

The level where the shots were supposedly heard is only open to members and senior staff, according to sources familiar with the Rayburn security.

The response was immediate, with lawmakers and staffers told to stay in their offices as the building was searched by Capitol Hill police and the FBI.

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An increased law enforcement presence was apparent, and sections of Independence Avenue close to Rayburn were closed to traffic.

The House was not in session Friday and many lawmakers and staffers were not at work.

The Senate, however, was in session, and continued its work uninterrupted by the incident.

Rayburn was reopened around 3:30 p.m, after law enforcement had searched the entire building.

One female staffer from the office of Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., was taken away by ambulance after suffering from what law enforcement officials called a panic attack.

Kingston, in a statement, said the staffer was “shaken up” but not seriously injured.

Steven Broderick, spokesman for Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., was in his car trying to exit the garage at the time of the reported shooting, but said he didn’t hear the noise.

He said his car was surrounded by several officers with their guns drawn.

“I was told by a police officer with his gun drawn to park my car and keep my hands on the wheel,” Broderick told The Examiner. “Made me wonder what I did wrong.”

An officer told Broderick to return to his office, where he remained until later in the afternoon.

Police searched offices, accounted for Rayburn workers and congressional staffers and escorted them out of the building.

As the afternoon progressed, it was not clear what had occurred. Rumors of a man with a gun in the Rayburn gym had widely circulated. Speculation increased when Schneider said a law enforcement firing range is close to the area where the shots were supposedly heard. She later said the firing range was not close to the garage.

By later in the day, tensions eased and numerous staffers told The Examiner that they were weary, hungry and wanted to begin the Memorial Day weekend.

dfrancis@dcexaminer.com

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com