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A man armed with an AR-15 rifle was detained by the U.S. Capitol Police in a Washington, D.C., park near the Russell Senate Office Building just before 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday (November 7) afternoon.
"USCP Officers just arrested a man with a gun in the park across from Union Station. At this time, we have no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat. We are working to gather more information and will put out more details when they are confirmed," the U.S. Capitol Police wrote on X.
"We just searched the area in the park that we secured. Out of an abundance of caution, we [are] going to search the suspect's belongings. Again, the suspect is in custody. Investigation ongoing," the department said in a follow-up post.
The scene was cleared just after 3 p.m. ET.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger identified the suspect as 21-year-old Ahmir Lavon Merrell, who is a registered sex offender in Georgia. Manger said that Merrell was taken to the hospital and is expected to be fine after getting tased during his arrest.
Investigators are still trying to determine why he was at the park armed with an AR-15.