WASHINGTON – Shots were fired this morning near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and a female motorist was taken into custody.
A law enforcement official told reporters on scene that Capitol Police fired at the driver of a vehicle that hit a police cruiser about 9:30 this morning near the U.S. Botanical Gardens and the Rayburn House Office Building.
The driver has been identified as Taleah Everett, 20. She has no fixed address, although reports suggests she may have relatives in Prince George's County.
The incident happened at Washington and Independence Avenue and was "criminal in nature" with "no nexus for terrorism," said Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki at a brief press conference held at 10:27 a.m.
The spokeswoman described an "erratic and aggressive driver" who would not stop and then made a U-turn. The black female "nearly struck" officers with her car and hit one vehicle, causing police to briefly pursue her.
Everett was charged with seven counts of assault on a police officer, two counts of destruction of property, fleeing, leaving the scene of an accident and lacking a valid driver's permit, reported the Washington Post.
She is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Malecki said "shots were fired" during the attempt to arrest the driver.
"All of a sudden, we heard one shot, and two shots right after that – just like boom, and then boom, boom – and the police were just swarming," eyewitness Zachary Yanta told CNN.
Video from the scene shows a black sedan with a Maryland license plate. Bullet holes were visible in the windshield. A black jacket, marked as evidence, was on the street next to the car.
There is currently no clear indication of a motive, or whether this was an intentional act, according to the FBI.
Fox News described the incident as "a traffic stop gone bad" and that tourists and congressional staffers were milling about "business as usual" in the area by 10:15 a.m.
The U.S. Capitol remained open during the incident and subsequent investigation. The Botanical Garden opened on time at 10 a.m.
WND was the first media outlet on the scene in 2013, when what first appeared to be a terrorism threat in the nation’s capital turned out to be the unjustifiable shooting of an unarmed, suburban mother by federal officers for the simple mistake of making a wrong turn. It then turned into a Justice Department cover-up.