U.S. Capitol Police averted a potential security threat at the Capitol on Friday, when they encountered a man carrying a hammer in his backpack, NBC News reported.
Christopher Snow, 33, from Canton, Ohio, was undergoing screening at the Capitol Visitor Center around 3:40 p.m. when officers noticed the hammer inside his bag during an X-ray scan, according to police.
Snow became confrontational during a subsequent screening, police said, prompting officers to intervene and use a Taser to subdue him.
Snow faces charges of assaulting a police officer as investigators delve into his motives for attempting to access the Capitol while in possession of a hammer.
Captain Andrew Pecher of the Capitol Police praised the officers' rapid response.
"These officers did what they were trained to do and stopped this man from getting into the U.S. Capitol," Pecher said in a press release. "Great work from the officer who spotted the hammer to the officers who quickly took the suspect into custody."
This incident echoes a previous security breach at the Capitol. In January 2022, authorities arrested a woman outside the U.S. Capitol Police headquarters after discovering a gun case and the butt of a long gun in her vehicle, CBS News reported.
The woman, identified as Kery Lynn McAttee, faced multiple weapons charges. Police found an unloaded .22-caliber rifle, a loaded .410-caliber shotgun, and an unloaded .50-caliber muzzleloader, along with ammunition, in her vehicle.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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