Police: Man killed near Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Police shot and killed a man Wednesday after he sped away from a traffic stop, injured two officers, approached the Capitol building and fired a gun at officers, Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said.

Schneider said the man crashed his car into a Capitol Police cruiser about a block north of the Capitol building and pulled out a handgun. Officers repeatedly told him to drop the gun, Schneider said, but he started shooting, prompting officers to fire back.

"The officers felt that their lives were in danger," she said. "The officers challenged the suspect and asked him to show his hands, put the weapon down. The suspect did not comply and was shot."

Schneider said they recovered the man's handgun. Schneider injured two officers when he "nearly ran over" them — one officer performing a separate traffic stop near Union Station and a motorcycle officer nearby. She said none suffered serious injuries and did not require trips to a hospital.

Schneider said the injured officers later performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man after he was shot.

The chaotic scene shook up the Capitol Hill area just at rush hour, leaving tourists ducking for cover, prompting a brief closure of the Senate side of the Capitol building.

Witnesses said they saw a white Mercedes-Benz speeding along Louisiana Avenue near the Capitol that appeared to have been damaged from an earlier accident. The car, which was being chased by two police cars, made a left turn toward the Capitol building. Shortly after, the witnesses said, they heard gunfire.

Robert Drumm, 53, visiting Washington from Edmond, Okla., said he went running up to the scene until he heard 10 to 15 shots. He got down and his family crouched behind a retaining wall in a nearby park.

"The gunshots happened so quickly that I didn't even realize they were gunshots. Within 10 seconds all the gunshots were fired," Drumm said. "Walking through the mall, there was security everywhere. I felt really safe because of all the security around, so I never thought this would happen."