USCP: Man With a Gun Enters the Capitol Complex, Even After Hand Search

A man with a gun entered the Capitol complex even after a hand search was conducted by an officer, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) revealed in a statement released on Thursday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday January 21 — one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

According to the USCP press release, authorities received “a lookout for a man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area.”

“At approximately 1:15 p.m., USCP officers spotted the man’s car on First Street, near East Capitol Street, NE. Officers conducted a canvass of the area and discovered that the man had recently entered the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) and taken a Capitol tour,” authorities said, adding that the suspect was spotted at the Library of Congress at about 2:15 ET after taking the tour, walking toward his vehicle.

“He was stopped, searched, and arrested. A small 9mm handgun was discovered, concealed in his waistband,” the press release reads, identifying the man as 27-year-old James A. Faber of Massachusetts.

Perhaps what is most surprising is USPC admitting that Faber was allowed to enter the south CVC checkpoint. The magnetometers did, indeed, go off, prompting a hand search by an officer. This — evidently — did not result in the discovery of the man’s weapon. That officer has since been suspended.

Per the press release [emphasis added]:

USCP security video shows the man entered through the south CVC checkpoint. After the magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a secondary hand search, and the man was let into the building. The officer is suspended while the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance of that search. At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress. Thankfully nobody was hurt. The USCP 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 was arrested for Unlawful Activities, Carrying a Pistol Without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Resisting Arrest, per the press release.

The news comes months after the first assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, which triggered a barrage of questions  and additional scrutiny on the operations of not only U.S. Secret Service but authorities across the board.