Capitol police arrest driver of suspicious vehicle in Supreme Court

Washington – U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday arrested a Michigan man after responding to a suspicious vehicle in Supreme Court, the agency said.

Jason Bell, the deputy chief of the Capitol Police’s operational services office, said the incident began around 9:30 a.m. when the man, later identified as Dale Paul Melvin, 55, of Kimball, Mich., illegally parked his Chevy Tahoe in front of The Supreme Court. Officers responded and the suspect declined to speak, instead stating “the time to speak is over,” Bell said at a press conference.

Crisis negotiating officers then attempted to speak with the man, and after he refused to enlist, Capitol Police teams intervened and removed the suspect from the vehicle. He was placed under arrest for non-obedience and assaulting a police officer, the department said.

No weapons were found, although police are still dealing with the vehicle and an investigation is underway, Bell said. Law enforcement doesn’t know Melvin’s motivation at this time, but the department said Melvin came to the Capitol complex in August and made “worrying” comments.

Earlier on Tuesday, police urged people to stay away from the area near the high court, which is located directly across from the Capitol building. The police also closed the roads surrounding the court.

The Supreme Court met at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for its second day of oral argument, with eight of the justices taking the bench for question-and-answer sessions for two cases. Judge Brett Kavanaugh participated remotely after testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday, despite showing no symptoms.

Live audio of the arguments indicated that they went uninterrupted despite events outside the court.

The incident comes weeks after a man from North Carolina parked his van outside the Library of Congress and claimed to have explosives. The threat led to a five-hour standoff with police and prompted the evacuation of several buildings in the area. The man, identified as Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, of Grover, North Carolina, eventually surrendered to police.