Washington: Heavily armed Capitol police swarmed through a House of Representatives office building and briefly closed the Capitol after a congressman thought he heard gunfire and triggered what turned out to be a frightening false alarm.
Authorities reported no arrests, gunfire or even injuries after a methodical three-hour search on Friday that stranded lawmakers and aides alike in their offices, though one aide was so rattled by the sight of police tactical teams that she was taken to a nearby hospital.
Through the day, officers with rifles stood by outside, and ambulances arrived after the phoned-in report of gunfire in the garage of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The report originated with Rep Jim Saxton, a New Jersey Republican, his press secretary said. Saxton heard what he thought were gunshots and had a member of his staff call Capitol Police, said spokesman Greg Keeley.
''I heard what I thought to be between six and ten shots. It sounded exactly like gunfire to me,'' Saxton told Fox News Channel after the search was concluded and the huge office building was reopened.
Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said officers were looking at a ''plausible explanation'' that the day's events resulted from noise made by construction workers in the Rayburn garage.
''In doing their routine duties, they made some sort of a noise that sounded like shots fired. So it was a valid call,'' she said.
On high alert, police lined the street between the Capitol and the Rayburn building, rifles prominently displayed, and four ambulances, two fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were on the scene.
Police methodically searched the sprawling building, where congressional staff members had locked themselves into their offices as a precaution.
Before the all-clear, Schneider said, ''Lives could be at risk. If we have a gunman in the building we certainly want to find him. It's premature to assume that it may not be a gunman.''
The Senate was in session at the time, but the House was not as most lawmakers had left for the Memorial Day holiday recess.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, conducting a House Intelligence Committee hearing, interrupted a witness to ask those attending the meeting to remain in the room with the doors closed.
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''It's a little unsettling to get a Blackberry message put in front of you that says there's gunfire in the building,'' he said.
Indeed, one congressional staff member was taken to a hospital after suffering a panic attack during the lockdown and search, Schneider said. The woman was released a short time later.
The search was a complicated one. The building, which covers a long city block, is connected to a second office building by an underground tunnel. That building, in turn, is connected to the Capitol by a second underground tunnel.
The Rayburn House Office Building was completed in early 1965 and is the third of three constructed for the House of Representatives. It has four stories above ground, two basements and three levels of underground garage space.
Nearly two hours after the first alert went out at about 10:45 a.m. EDT, Capitol police sent an e-mail message to occupants of the office building saying they would soon begin a floor-by-floor search.
Usually teeming with visitors, Capitol Hill was uncharacteristically quiet. Although it was the start of a holiday weekend, tourists were few. Independence Avenue, which runs between the Rayburn building and the Capitol, was closed to traffic.
The Capitol itself was all but deserted even though it remained open for official business. Anyone approaching it was asked for identification. No visitors were allowed in.
The lockdown left dozens of people stuck in the Rayburn building for the better part of the day. As the lockdown continued past the lunch hour, staffers in several offices were raiding their refrigerators to settle their hunger.
An Associated Press reporter heard noise outside a Rayburn press room and peeked out the door. A police officer, gun drawn, shouted, ''Get in the room. Get in the room.''
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