Shots fired at U.S. Capitol; suspect in custody

WASHINGTON (AP) - A police officer was reported hurt after gunfire Thursday at the U.S. Capitol building.  The Capitol was put under lockdown for a time.  Police said a suspect was in custody after the incident.  The person's condition was not immediately known.

An official told the Associated Press the shots at the Capitol were related to a vehicle that tried to ram a barricade near the White House.  The official said a driver attempted to drive through the barricade that blocks the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to vehicles. The driver then proceeded down Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill, where shots were fired.

Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania told reporters he was walking from the Capitol to the Senate Russell Office Building across the street when he noticed several police officers driving fast up Constitution Avenue on motorcycles.

Within seconds, he said, he heard "three, four, five pops," which he assumed were gunshots. He says police ordered him and nearby tourists to crouch behind a car for protection.

In about two minutes, Sen. Casey said the officers moved everyone into the Capitol. 

The entire complex was put on lockdown during the incident.  The lockdown was lifted shortly after 12 p.m. Thursday.

As the warning was sounded, the House abruptly went into recess and lawmakers left the chamber floor. The House had just finished approving legislation aimed at partly lifting the government shutdown by paying National Guard and Reserve members.

Across the street, people standing outside the Supreme Court were hurried into the court building.

The White House was quickly locked down after the incident, and the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the compound was closed to pedestrians.

Police said Thursday's shooting at the Capitol was an isolated incident, not terrorism.