A U.S. House staffer has pleaded not guilty to two charges after police said he carried a loaded gun into a congressional office building Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Jeff Allsbrooks, of Richmond, Virginia, appeared in court Friday to face charges including possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition.
He's accused of bringing a loaded gun through security at Longworth U.S. House Office Building.
Allsbrooks passed his bag through an X-ray at a security checkpoint before 7:40 a.m. Thursday.
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He retrieved the bag and departed before police noticed the gun in the X-ray image, according to charging documents.
The doors were locked down while Capitol Police located the man, which took eight minutes, according to the charging documents. The building was placed on a brief security alert.
Capitol Police say they’re undertaking an internal review of how the gun got through.
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Charging documents say the gun, which wasn’t registered in D.C, had 14 rounds of ammo and a 15-round magazine.
Allsbrooks works with the House Chief Administrative Office, a non-partisan office that helps congressional officers with day-to-day operations.
Allsbrooks was released and is due back in court in February. His release conditions prohibit him from possessing a gun.
U.S. Capitol Police have been on high alert following a year marked by security breaches and deadly attacks at the Capitol, including the Jan. 6 insurrection.
A U.S. Capitol Police officer died and another was badly injured on April 2 when a man rammed a car into them at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.
A man drove a pickup truck onto a sidewalk outside the Library of Congress in August and claimed he had explosives, leading law enforcement to evacuate government buildings and nearby homes as they negotiated with the suspect.
A man with multiple knives who said he was “on patrol” was arrested near Democratic National Committee headquarters in September, Capitol Police said.
