WASHINGTON —A Capitol Police officer has been suspended after a man with a gun was able to get past a security check at the Capitol Visitor Center.
“On Tuesday, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) received a lookout for a man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area, according to a media release.
Just after 1p.m. Capitol Police officers spotted the man’s car on First Street, near East Capitol Street, NE. Officers conducted a canvass of the area and discovered that the man had recently entered the Capitol Visitor Center and taken a Capitol tour.
At 2:15 p.m., the man identified as 27-year-old James A. Faber of Massachusetts, was found leaving the Library of Congress, after the tour, and walking towards his car. He was stopped, searched, and arrested.
Officers discovered a small 9mm handgun concealed in his waistband.
Faber is being held on requested charges of Unlawful Activities, Carrying a Pistol Without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Resisting Arrest.
The case is currently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
USCP security video shows Faber entered through the south Capitol Visitors Center checkpoint. After the magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a secondary hand search, and Faber was let into the building. The officer is suspended while the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance of that search.
At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress. Nobody was hurt. The USCP demands the highest standards when it comes to screening visitors, so a full review of this incident has already been ordered, as well as mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again.”