Shots Fired At US Capitol Visitor Center; Shooter Caught

WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- It was a chaotic scene at the US Capitol as gunfire rang out while the building was packed with spring break visitors.

Ava-joye Burnett has more on the frantic moments and the shooter, who's now in a hospital.

The Capitol was packed with visitors---many of them children. Some of the sheer panic was caught on camera.

Visitors lay face down on the ground. Then, there was a mad dash to safety.

"Shelter in place. Shelter in place. Shelter in place. Gunshots recorded in the Capitol Visitor Center," the announcement said.

There were a lot of folks visiting the US Capitol. Some of them caught the chaos on camera.

"Not sure what's going on. It's pretty crazy out there," said one visitor.

"Everybody's running and throwing stuff. It's just like chaos," said another.

"They said, `Run the other way.' They didn't tell us what had happened," said tourist Dianne Bilo.

Capitol Police say the suspect has a history with them. On Monday, he walked up to a checkpoint and pulled out a weapon. That's when police shot him. Sources say the suspect is 66-year-old Larry Dawson, who's now in the hospital.

"We believe this is the act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol grounds before and there is no reason to believe this is anything more than a criminal act," said Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa.

Scary moments for visitors during an especially busy time in the nation's capital, with thousands visiting DC to see the cherry blossoms.

"I'm kind of relieved that we weren't there when it happened. I am sure that was very scary for people," said Diane Douglas, a tourist from Michigan.

Police say a bystander was injured but those injuries were minor.