Illegally Parked SUV Closes Connecticut Ave.
SUV broke down, driver went to sleep
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009 | Updated 1:23 PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- A "suspicious" car shut down Connecticut Avenue in northwest Washington for almost two hours Tuesday morning.
Turns out an SUV was just illegally parked.
The SUV was found with its flashers on in a driving lane in the 2900 block of Connecticut Avenue between Porter Street and Cathedral Avenue in the Cleveland Park neighborhood. Police could not find the owner. Bomb-sniffing dogs were called in. Police noticed something suspicious in the SUV, which escalated the event.
Concerned that the driver might be in danger, police searched the woods nearby with the assistance of a helicopter.
After about two hours, officials deemed the vehicle, which had Florida tags, to be safe and Connecticut Avenue was reopened at about 7:45 a.m.
The Cleveland Park Metro Station was closed for more than an hour. It reopened just after 7:30 a.m.
The vehicle's owner was eventually found. He had been sleeping in an apartment building at that location. Apparently the car had broken down. After getting a jump from officers, the man moved the SUV, which had been ticketed, to a legal space.
