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Suspect Arrested Near U.S. Capitol After Officers 'Nearly Struck' By Vehicle

Police stand guard at the Botanic Garden after the incident near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
Michael Biesecker
/
AP
Police stand guard at the Botanic Garden after the incident near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Updated 6:45 p.m. ET

In Washington, D.C., U.S. Capitol Police have identified a suspect in Wednesday's incident in which a driver "nearly struck" police officers and shots were fired.

Capitol Police communications director Eva Malecki identifies the suspect as Taleah Everett, 20, who appears to have no fixed address.

Malecki says the officers observed an "erratic and aggressive" driver near the Capitol on Independence Avenue at 9:22 a.m. ET and tried to carry out a traffic stop.

"While attempting to stop the vehicle on Independence Avenue, the driver made a U-turn and fled the scene nearly striking officers and struck at least one other vehicle," she said. "The vehicle was stopped at Washington and Independence Avenue, SW."

Shots were fired as the officers were working to arrest the suspect, Malecki said, adding that "no individuals were injured during the arrest." It's not clear who fired the shots.

Malecki says Everett has been charged with assault on a police officer, destruction of property and other offenses.

Additionally, Malecki states, "There is no evidence to indicate any nexus to terrorism at this point in the ongoing investigation."

The Capitol complex remained open to the public, though Independence Avenue was closed to traffic for a time.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.