Man Dies by Suicide After Ramming Car Into Barricade Near U.S. Capitol

A man drove his car into a barricade near the U.S. Capitol building early on Sunday morning and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the authorities said.

The man exited his car, which crashed at East Capitol Street and Second Street after 4 a.m., as it caught fire, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. He fired several shots into the air and then shot himself as officers approached him.

Officers did not shoot back, the statement said. No one else was hurt. The authorities said they were investigating the man’s background.

“At this time, it does not appear the man was targeting any members of Congress, who are on recess,” the statement said.

The Metropolitan Police Department, which is handling the investigation, had not released information about the man’s identification or motive as of Sunday afternoon. The U.S. Supreme Court is also near the barricade that the man struck.

Cases of violence directed at public buildings and officials have grown since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

On Thursday, a man who tried to breach the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cincinnati office was shot and killed by law enforcement officers after a standoff. He had been on the F.B.I.’s radar for months for potential involvement in the attack on the Capitol.

A warrant to search for classified material at former President Donald J. Trump’s beachfront home and resort in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, prompted right-wing and Republican figures to warn of potential upcoming violence.