D.C. Military Base Briefly Locked Down After Report Of Armed Person

A military base in the nation’s capital was locked down for about an hour and a half Friday, after an armed man ran onto the grounds during a local police investigation of gunshots on the streets surrounding the base.

Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling posted a note on its Facebook page saying the person was spotted on the south side of the base. The naval support facility at the north end of the base is used by Marine Helicopter Squadron One, the fleet of green helicopters that carry the president and vice president.

The individual was detained and will be transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department, base officials said. The lockdown was lifted around 3 p.m. and cars slowly started moving on and off the base. No injuries were immediately reported. Officials at one point said they were looking for two people, but a later report said only one person was at large.

The 905-acre base in southeast Washington houses Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard units, along with the Washington field office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the headquarters of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The installation is in an area that occasionally has local police activity nearby. Over the years there have been a few incidents where that activity filtered onto the base, including one where a suspect being sought by police scaled a fence and was taken into custody by Defense Department authorities.

The lockdown caused a brief panic.

“If you encounter the individual and have a safe route, RUN," base officials posted on Facebook in the first moments of the lockdown. "If you do not have a safe route to run, HIDE. Barricade your door, turn off the lights and your cell phone ringer, and remain silent. If you are hiding, prepare to FIGHT.”

Just last week, a Pentagon police officer was stabbed to death after a burst of violence at a transit center outside the building. A suspect was shot by law enforcement and died at the scene. After that violence, the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military, was temporarily placed on lockdown.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.