“They snatched him pretty fast.”Įlizabeth Bevins, a tourist from Atlanta, said she was standing across the street from the Capitol when the little helicopter flew in around 20 or 30 feet high, and it “just sort of plopped down on the lawn.” He had his hands up”’ and was quickly led away by the police, Jewell said. “He didn’t get out until police officers told him to get out. An officer was already there with a gun drawn. ![]() ![]() John Jewell, 72, a tourist from Statesville, North Carolina, said the craft landed hard and bounced. It barely cleared a row of trees and a statue of Gen. Witnesses said the craft approached the Capitol from the west, flying low over the National Mall and the Capitol reflecting pool across the street from the building. The White House said President Barack Obama had been briefed on the situation. “Had it gotten any closer to the speaker’s balcony they have long guns to take it down, but it didn’t. House Homeland Security panel Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said the pilot landed on his own, but that had he made it much closer to the Capitol authorities were prepared to shoot him down. Postal Service logo and landed about half a city block from the Capitol building, as a “gyro copter with a single occupant.” There’s no need to worry - I’m just delivering the mail.”Ĭapitol Police identified the aircraft, which sported the U.S. “An ultralight aircraft poses no major physical threat - it may present a political threat to graft. “As I have informed the authorities, I have no violent inclinations or intent,” Hughes wrote on his website,. Capitol Wednesday, surprising spring tourists and prompting a temporary lockdown of the Capitol Visitor Center.Ĭapitol Police didn’t immediately identify the pilot or comment on his motive, but a Florida postal carrier named Doug Hughes took responsibility for the stunt on a website where he said he was delivering letters to all 535 members of Congress in order to draw attention to campaign finance corruption. WASHINGTON > Police arrested a man who steered his tiny, one-person helicopter onto the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Police didn’t immediately identify the pilot or comment on his motive, but a Florida postal carrier named Doug Hughes took responsibility for the stunt on a website where he said he was delivering letters to all 535 members of Congress in order to draw attention to campaign finance corruption. Capitol Wednesday, astonishing spring tourists and prompting a temporary lockdown of the Capitol Visitor Center. Police arrested a man who steered his tiny, one-person helicopter onto the West Lawn of the U.S. 6 insurrection by pro-Trump rioters.Facebook Twitter Email A member of a bomb squad pulls something off of a small helicopter and throws it after a man landed on the West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. ahead of the inauguration due to concerns that have gripped the nation’s capital following the deadly Jan. The District has beefed up security in and around downtown Washington, D.C. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. As more information becomes available, this message will be updated." Members and staff were advised to shelter in place while the incident is being investigated. There are currently no fires on or within the Capitol campus. "In an abundance of caution following an external security threat under the bridge on I-295 at First and F Streets, SE, Acting Chief Pittman ordered a shutdown of the Capitol Complex. Capitol Police issued the following statement: "There’s never been any security like this for a presidential inauguration," says Robert McCartney of the Washington Post. "As far as I can tell, this is more secure now than when Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated twice during a civil war." The scare comes in the wake of a security threat unlike anything D.C. "That was something that we were able to very very quickly but the reports of a possible explosion were apparently the result of a fact that this individual had among their possessions a Coleman heater so there was a canister with some flammable gas in it which exploded from the heat from the fire," says Vito Maggiolo from DC Fire & EMS. DC Fire & EMS were able to put out the fire. She is being assisted by the American Red Cross. DC Fire officials tell FOX 5 a woman who was living in the camp suffered minor injuries, but refused medical treatment.
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