National Zoo officer opens fire on suspect’s vehicle

An officer with the National Zoological Park Police opened fire on a vehicle near a zoo entrance on Friday evening.

A spokesperson for the National Zoo confirmed the incident happened after the car sped toward the officer as the officer approached the vehicle, at the zoo’s Connecticut Avenue entrance around 5 p.m. Friday.

The officer fired several shots at the car, which had two people inside.

No one was injured and the two suspects were arrested a few minutes later inside the zoo near the Beach Drive entrance, which is blocked-off.

Both people in that car are now facing multiple charges.

Below is a map of where the incident happened:

Matt Small

Matt joined WTOP News at the start of 2020, after contributing to Washington’s top news outlet as an Associated Press journalist for nearly 18 years.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up