Police: Ohio man who tried to enter U.S. Capitol with hammer arrested
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man from Ohio was arrested after trying to enter the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. with a hammer, authorities said.
In a press release on Friday, the United States Capitol Police said 33-year-old Christopher Snow of Canton was arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
Capitol police said at around 3:40 p.m. on Friday, Snow was being screened at the Capitol Visitor Center when an officer spotted a hammer inside his bag as it went through the X-ray machine. Police said when the officer attempted a secondary screening on the bag, the 33-year-old man "attempted to grab the bag and became combative."
The news release said that several officers tried to stop the suspect and then a "struggle ensued." Officers used a Taser on the man before taking him into custody, according to the news release. Capitol police confirmed that a hammer was found in the man's bag.
"These officers did what they were trained to do and stopped this man from getting into the U.S. Capitol," USCP Captain Andrew Pecher said in the release. "Great work from the officer who spotted the hammer, to the officers who quickly took the suspect into custody."
Investigators are working to figure out why he came to the Capitol with a hammer, the news release said. He was charged with assault on a police officer.