Ohio man found with hammer at US Capitol, tased and arrested, police say

An Ohio man was tased and arrested Friday after allegedly trying to get into the U.S. Capitol building in Washington with a hammer, police said. 

The suspect, identified as Christopher Snow, 33, was being screened by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) at around 3:40 p.m. at the Capitol Visitor Center, where his backpack went through an X-ray machine, authorities said. 

A USCP officer noticed a hammer inside the bag, police said. 

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“When the officer attempted secondary screening to look inside the bag, the suspect attempted to grab the bag and became combative, a police statement said. 

Several officers intervened to stop Snow and a struggle ensued, police said. 

Officers then tased Snow and took him into custody. 

The hammer was found in the bag, police said. 

“These officers did what they were trained to do and stopped this man from getting into the U.S. Capitol,” said USCP Capt. Andrew Pecher. “Great work from the officer who spotted the hammer, to the officers who quickly took the suspect into custody.”

Investigators were still trying to determine why Snow, a Canton resident, brought a hammer to the Capitol. He is charged with assault on a police officer

Capitol Christmas Tree arrives in Washington, DC after 13-day trip from North Carolina

Christmas kicked off in Washington, D.C. Friday morning as the 2022 Capitol Christmas Tree arrived at the U.S. Capitol.

‘Ruby,’ the name of this year’s tree, is a 78-foot tall Red Spruce from North Carolina, and it was harvested in the Pigsah National Forest.

The tree and its traveling crew left North Carolina for the Capitol during the first week of November. Live tracking of the tree’s journey began Nov. 5 and ended with the final stop on Nov. 18.

Ruby the Red Spruce made 16 stops along the way and at each one fans could sign a banner, participate in arts and crafts, and learn more about America’s national forests.

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The tree was delivered to its normal spot on the Capitol’s West Lawn at 6 a.m. Friday. Crews spent most of the morning getting the tree off the truck and into its upright position on Capitol Hill. 

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The official lighting ceremony will take place on Nov. 30. 

According to the tree’s Twitter page, Ruby will be lit by Catcuce Micco Tiger (Coche), a fourth grader from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, N.C.