U.S. Capitol Police officers searched Senate office buildings on Wednesday afternoon and people were seen walking out with their hands up after officials received what they described as a “concerning 911 call." The buildings were later cleared and no injuries were reported.
People in the buildings were advised to shelter in place starting at about 2:45 p.m. after someone reported a possible active shooter. But there was no sign of any shooting, police said. A floor-by-floor search revealed nothing.
“We found nothing concerning. We’ve got nobody that actually heard shots and certainly no victims,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters.
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“We found no confirmation that there was an active shooter. This may have been a bogus call,” he said.
The scare came amid high security in parts of D.C. ahead of ex-President Trump’s expected court appearance Thursday.
The initial call reported an active shooter at the Hart Senate Office Building, Manger said. Officers were able to respond within seconds.
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On a dispatch call, a 911 operator could be heard telling a fleet of emergency crews to respond.
Inside the Russell Senate Office Building, officers evacuated the hallways and shouted at people to run outside and away from the building. Outside, tourists watched as dozens of police cars surrounded the area.
Staff and journalists working in the building received an email instructing them to take shelter in a locked room, remain quiet and silence all electronics.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are currently on recess and the office buildings are generally less crowded than usual.
Police had cleared all three Senate office buildings by about 4 p.m.
“A call came in for an active shooter. It appears to be a bad call. No injuries and no shooter were located,” a Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said in a brief statement. D.C. police are assisting Capitol police in the investigation.
D.C. police tried to reach the 911 caller again, Manger said.
“The original caller to MPD, the call just bounces back. They’ve tried a couple of times and it comes back to a different location every time,” he said.
Sirens blared as police rushed to the buildings. Part of Constitution Avenue was closed ahead of the evening rush hour.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
