Hill staffer arrested after bringing gun to House building

A Capitol Hill staffer was arrested Thursday morning after bringing a handgun to the Longworth Building, according to U.S. Capitol Police.

Jeffrey Allsbrooks, 57, a staffer with the House Chief Administrative Office, arrived to the Longworth Building’s South Capitol Street door at approximately 7:45 a.m., court documents say. As he proceeded through a security magnetometer, his backpack and other items went through an X-ray machine for security reasons.

As Allsbrooks began walking away, an officer spotted the image of a handgun in the backpack, causing a “stay in place lockdown,” according to court documents. Officers began looking around the area for Allsbrooks, who was walking back toward the screening area. He was taken into custody just before 8:30 a.m., after the gun was identified.



Officers recovered a black Glock 19 9 mm handgun, loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, which was not registered in D.C., but was registered in Virginia. An investigation also found that Allsbrooks was not licensed to carry a concealed firearm in the District, but he is licensed to carry a concealed firearm in Virginia.

In response, Allsbrooks told officers that he forgot the gun was in the bag. He is being charged with carrying a pistol without a license.

Capitol Police said they are looking into what happened before, during and after Allsbrooks’ arrest.

The case remains under investigation.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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