U.S. Capitol Police arrested an armed man around noon Monday on Capitol Hill, and the investigation remains ongoing.
A Capitol Police spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that police “arrested a man at the North Barricade of the U.S. Capitol who had a firearm,” adding that the area will be closed as police conduct an investigation into the incident.
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Firearms are prohibited on Capitol grounds, and police said they are looking into who the person is and why he drove to the Capitol with a gun.
Police later identified the man as 67-year-old Wendell J. Royster as the individual who drove toward the North Barricade. In a news release, Capitol Police said he drove up to the area in a Ford Bronco and asked for directions to the Supreme Court.
Officers noticed a handgun in Royster’s lap and promptly ordered him to put his hands up before officers surrounded the vehicle. Capitol Police said he was arrested within two minutes of arriving at the barricade.
Royster, who traveled to Washington, D.C., from Mississippi, had a dog in the vehicle with him. Capitol Police removed the dog, which was chained in the vehicle, and provided the dog with water until animal control arrived.
Royster was not on record with Capitol Police, and the agency said there is no threat to Congress. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a license or a permit.
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The North Barricade sits in between Delaware Avenue and 1st St. in front of the Senate wing of the Capitol.
The incident falls on the anniversary of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, when the then-former president was targeted while delivering a campaign speech during the 2024 presidential election cycle on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
