Shots Fired at Pentagon; Two Police and Gunman Injured

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pentagonTwo police officers were injured by a gunman firing shots outside the Pentagon tonight and a suspect was in custody, a police spokesman said.

Police said the officers’ injuries were not life-threatening. The officers were taken to George Washington Hospital in Washington. The shooter was injured when police returned fire, a spokesman said.

The shooting occurred at the Pentagon Metro Station, which is just outside the Pentagon’s main entrance. The shots were fired at about 6:35 p.m. ET.

The officers belonged to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the Defense Department said in a statement. One was apparently hit in the lower part of the body, according to reporters there. He appeared to be alert when he was loaded into an ambulance.

Initially, hundreds of employees at the Pentagon were ordered to go into “Code Red” — the entire building locked down, with no one allowed to enter or leave.

After about 45 minutes, people were allowed to leave the building through entrances other than the one closest to the Metro station. Metro trains bypassed the Pentagon station.

At least three ambulances were called to the scene, and all parking lots at the massive Defense Department headquarters were closed off, ABC News’ Martha Raddatz reported.

“All I know right now is that there was a shooting. We believe two officers, police officers, were hit. And I believe we have one person in custody,” Pentagon Police spokesman Chris Layman told ABC News’ Steven Portnoy.

Later, a statement was released to reporters:

“Two Pentagon Force Protection Officers were injured. The suspect was injured in return fire from the police officers. The injuries to the police officers do not appear to be life-threatening. The status of the third is unknown. All Pentagon entrances were closed for some time and have been reopened with the exception for the Pentagon station.”

The Pentagon Metro station stop is a couple of hundred feet from the famous five sided building. People leaving the station who wish to enter the Pentagon must show ID to Pentagon police in order to get close to the building

The Pentagon, just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, is, by area, the world’s largest office building. About 26,000 people work there, according to the Defense Department.

{ABC News/Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}


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