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The U.S. Capitol Police took a man into custody outside of the Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 5). The agency tweeted it was responding to reports of a suspicious vehicle just before 10 a.m. ET. and closed off nearby roads.
"We are investigating a suspicious vehicle in front of the Supreme Court along First Street, NE. Please stay away from the area. We will provide more information as soon as we can."
Attempts to communicate with the driver were unsuccessful, so a tactical unit was deployed to remove the man from his vehicle. They used a flash-bang, forcing the man out of the car so officers could take him into custody.
"One of our teams just moved in and extracted the man from the SUV. The man is in custody. Everyone is safe," the Capitol Police wrote on Twitter.
He was identified as Dale Paul Melvin from Kimball, Michigan. Authorities did not say why he was parked in front of the Supreme Court or why they considered his vehicle to be suspicious. The incident occurred a few hours before a court hearing for Floyd Ray Roseberry, who was arrested in his truck outside of the Library of Congress in August. Authorities believed he had explosives and evacuated the Supreme Court and other nearby buildings.
Supreme Court Justices were hearing oral arguments at the time, but the incident did have any impact on the proceedings.