It took U.S. Capitol Police 12 minutes to lock down and find a staffer that had a gun in his bag on Thursday, the law enforcement agency said.
"After our review of the investigation and preliminary timeline, we discovered it took approximately four minutes to lock the building down and then approximately eight minutes until the suspect was stopped by officers," Capitol Police said in a press release.
According to the agency, officers in the Longworth Building spotted a gun during the X-ray of a bag of one of the House Chief Administrative Office staffers, identified as Jeffrey Allsbrooks, 57.
Officers then took four minutes to lock the building down, and another eight to locate Allsbrooks, according to the release.
Allsbrooks was arrested and is charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of unregistered ammunition, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, according to the agency.
He pleaded not guilty in a Virginia court Friday, according to Washington television station NBC 4.
According to the station, which cited the criminal complaint charging Allsbrooks, the staffer retrieved the bag after going through the X-ray machine and left the security checkpoint before the Capitol Police officers recognized the threat from the X-ray screen.
The complaint said that the gun was not registered in the District of Columbia and had 14 rounds of ammunition in a 15-round magazine.
Allsbrooks, who works in logistics for the office, said he forgot the gun was in the bag, and was released pending his next court appearance in February.
Capitol Police said the investigation into the incident, and why it took so long to resolve, is continuing.
The incident took place the day President Joe Biden and others in the House and Senate leadership attended funeral services for former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kansas, who was lying in state in the Capitol rotunda.
It also follows the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and the implementation of greater security measures in and around the complex.
On Jan. 6, hundreds of supporters of then President Donald Trump stormed the building to try and disrupt a joint session of Congress formally approving the 2020 election results.
Five people died during and in the immediate aftermath of the protest and riot, including Ashli Babbitt – who was shot and killed by Capitol Police – and officer Brian Sicknick, who suffered a stroke and died the next day.
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