During a news conference early Thursday evening, law enforcement officials from the D.C. Metropolitan Police, Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police provided additional information regarding a police chase that left the driver of a car dead near the U.S. Capitol building.
According to officials, the incident began about 2:12 p.m. when a black Infiniti sedan attempted to enter the White House grounds through an outer perimeter checkpoint at 15th and E Street, NW. The vehicle apparently rammed a security barricade but was unable to breach it.
Uniformed Secret Service officers unsuccessfully attempted to stop the vehicle, which fled down Pennsylvania Avenue. A Secret Service officer apparently received minor injuries as the vehicle attempted to get away.
Secret Service officers pursued the vehicle down Pennsylvania Avenue at a high rate of speed toward the U.S. Capitol building. As the vehicle entered U.S. Capitol grounds, several police officers surrounded the vehicle at Peace Circle. Undaunted, the driver reversed the vehicle and then accelerated toward officers. Police fired several shots at the vehicle as it sped from them.
The Capitol building immediately went on lockdown. Police raised emergency barriers located on streets surrounding the building, making it impossible for any vehicle to pass. As police continued to pursue the vehicle, a 23-year veteran U.S. Capitol police officer inadvertently struck one of the barriers with his vehicle during the chase. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was flown from the scene to a local hospital.
The vehicle drove around the Capitol building and attempted to breach police security barriers in the 100 block of Maryland Ave., NE, near the U.S. Supreme Court. Officials would not provide details of what happened at the security checkpoint, but said that police fired several shots at the driver. She was pronounced dead a short time later.
When police searched the vehicle, they found a 1-year-old child in the backseat. Remarkably, the child was not injured during the gunfire. No information was available to establish a relationship between the child and the driver. Officials said the driver of the vehicle was a female, but would not release her identity pending notification of next of kin.
The article represents original reporting by the author.
