Capitol Police: Officer suspended for allowing man with concealed gun into building
U.S. Capitol Police suspended an officer for allowing a man with a handgun to enter the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) Tuesday and take a guided tour.
“At approximately 2:15 p.m., the man was found leaving the Library of Congress, after the tour, and walking towards his car. He was stopped, searched, and arrested,” the law enforcement agency wrote in a news release.
“A small 9mm handgun was discovered, concealed in his waistband.”
The suspect was identified as 27-year-old James A. Faber of Massachusetts and was arrested for “Unlawful Activities, Carrying a Pistol Without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Resisting Arrest.”
He’s being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Police say Faber entered through the south CVC checkpoint and caused magnetometer alarms to go off at which point an officer performed a secondary hand search, and then Faber was let into the building.
The officer who allowed him in is undergoing review from the Capitol Police Office of Professional Responsibility.
At this time, there is no indication that Faber was coming to harm Congress.
“Thankfully nobody was hurt,” Capitol Police wrote. “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.”
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