Woman in custody after criminal incident near US Capitol (Lead)

Washington March 29 (IANS) US Capitol Police apprehended a female driver after she attempted to run over several officers and struck a police cruiser near the US Capitol on Wednesday.

The incident happened around 9:22 a.m. (local time) when police officers observed an erratic and aggressive driver in the vicinity of Independence Avenue said Eva Malecki the communications director for the US Capitol Police.

As the officers tried to stop the vehicle the driver took a U-turn and fled the scene striking another vehicle and nearly hitting officers reported ABC News.

A brief pursuit ensued until the female suspect was stopped. The police also fired shots in an attempt to stop the driver but no one was hit according to the report.

Capitol Police sent out an email alert about the incident asking Hill staffers to stay clear of the area.

Some of the House office buildings in the vicinity were temporarily placed on lockdown but that was later lifted ABC News reported.

The woman was taken into custody and there were no reported injuries a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said.

A police official said that the incident appears to be criminal in nature with no nexus to terrorism.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was assisting Capitol Police at the scene.

There was no clear indication of a motive or whether this was an intentional act according to the FBI.

The Capitol building was also opened to the public.

--IANS
soni/bg