Officer Suspended After Man Walks Into US Capitol Building with Gun: Police

United States Capitol Police arrested a man who was found on Tuesday with a concealed firearm, but who had been mistakenly let into the Capitol with the weapon.

Officers with the Capitol Police received a lookout notice for a “man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area,” later identified as James Faber of Massachusetts, according to a statement from the agency.

The officers found his car on First Street around 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday and “conducted a canvass of the area” to find the suspect.

They spotted Faber, 27, leaving the Library of Congress around 2:15 p.m. walking toward his car. When he was “stopped, searched, and arrested,” the officers found a 9mm handgun concealed in his waistband.

Law enforcement learned that he had allegedly entered the Capitol Visitor Center and managed to take the tour despite the fact that he was armed.

Security footage indeed shows Faber triggering the metal detector, but also depicts a Capitol Police officer conducting a hand search, only to let him into the building.

That officer is suspended as the Office of Professional Responsibility for the Capitol Police investigates the conduct.

“At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress. Thankfully nobody was hurt,” the statement added.

Capitol Police officials emphasized that the agency “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.”

Faber faces charges such as carrying a pistol without a license, possessing an unregistered firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and resisting arrest, per the Capitol Police.

The Carlisle Police Department in Massachusetts meanwhile said in a statement that they had “responded to a call for a wellbeing check” on Monday with respect to Faber.

“Upon further investigation, and newly discovered concerns, it was discovered that Faber had left the state in a motor vehicle,” the agency said.

That created a “Be On The Lookout” alert as Faber traveled south along the East Coast.

“Carlisle Police worked in coordination with several law enforcement agencies along the coast and ultimately with authorities in Washington, D.C,” the statement said.

“As a result of law enforcement collaboration and information sharing,  Faber was located at the US Capitol Building and taken into custody by Capitol Hill Police,” the statement continued.

Faber had his license to carry a firearm suspended in Massachusetts.

The arrest of Faber comes only days after Capitol Police arrested a man named Mel Horne, 44, for allegedly trying to bring a machete and three knives past security at the Capitol Visitor Center.

That happened as the late President Jimmy Carter was lying in state.

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