US Capitol Motorcycle Officer Airlifted To Hospital After Crash

WASHINGTON, DC — A U.S. Capitol Police motorcycle officer was airlifted to a local hospital Wednesday afternoon after a van crashed into him on a street southwest of the Capitol building. The officer was conscious and breathing when he was taken to the hospital.

The crash occurred at about 2:55 p.m. at the intersection of Washington Avenue and C Street, SW.

The police officer and a fellow officer were traveling on their motorcycles south on Washington Avenue when a white van traveling north attempted to cut across traffic toward an Interstate 395 on-ramp and struck one of the officers. The other officer was not struck or injured in the crash.

The driver of the van was not injured and stayed on the scene. He was arrested for driving without a valid permit, according to the police.

"There is no nexus to any type of domestic terrorism and no threat to the Congressional Community or the Capitol Complex," the Capitol Police said in a statement.

The crash comes almost two months after a driver rammed his car into two U.S. Capitol Police officers at a barrier. One of the officers, William "Billy" Evans, died from injuries suffered in the April 2 incident. The driver, who was holding a knife when he got out of his car, was shot and killed by Capitol police officers.