Capitol Police arrest man for attempting to light car on fire near Grant Memorial

Ciara Wells | ciara.wells@wtop.com
January 9, 2025, 5:04 AM

U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a man who lit a bag on fire and put it on top of his car near the Grant Memorial.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, USCP officers said that the car was “spray painted” and that the man tried to light it on fire, but that the fire extinguished on its own near the memorial on First Street NW, the agency said in a news release. Police said there were “accelerants” in the bag.

The man’s identity has not yet been released, but the agency said he’s 35 years old and from Virginia. He was arrested for “unlawful activities.”

USCP said that “out of an abundance of caution,” the vehicle was deemed “suspicious” and the Hazardous Incident Response Division came in to clear the vehicle.

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Ciara Wells
Ciara Wells is the Evening Digital Editor at WTOP. She is a graduate of American University where she studied journalism and Spanish. Before joining WTOP, she was the opinion team editor at a student publication and a content specialist at an HBCU in Detroit.
ciara.wells@wtop.com