Man arrested after gun incident at Longworth House Office Building

A man was arrested at the Longworth House Office Building Thursday morning after carrying a gun into the building in his bag, prompting a security alert telling staff to lockdown or seek cover. 

Jeffrey Allsbrooks, 57, who is a staffer with the House Chief Administrative Office, was arrested and charged with carrying a pistol without a license, according to a statement from the U.S. Capitol Police.

At roughly 7:40 a.m., officers at the Longworth building noticed an image of a handgun in a bag on their X-ray screen, according to the Capitol Police.

Authorities tracked down Allsbrooks four minutes later and arrested him. He told authorities he forgot the firearm was in his bag.

Capitol Police said it is investigating the incident to discern “what happened before, during and after those four minutes.”

The agency sent out an alert just before 8 a.m. notifying Longworth staff of a security threat inside the building. Authorities urged people to move to the nearest office, lock it and stay away from all doors and windows, or seek cover if in a public space, and remain quiet.

No personnel were permitted to enter or exit the building during the lockdown, which was lifted several minutes later. 

Thursday’s incident was the latest security scare at the Capitol complex following the deadly Jan. 6 attacks, which put Capitol Police on high alert.

The O’Neill House Office Building was evacuated in October due to a bomb threat. The Hubert H. Humphrey Building, which houses the headquarters for the Department of Health and Human Services, was also evacuated due to a bomb threat, and the U.S. Botanical Gardens was evacuated because of a suspicious package.

In April, one Capitol Police officer was killed and another was injured after a car rammed into a barrier surrounding the Capitol complex.