A U.S. House staffer has pleaded not guilty after he was accused of bringing a loaded gun into a congressional office building Thursday.
Jeffrey Allsbrooks, 57, of Richmond, Virginia, was in D.C. Superior Court on Friday on charges of possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition — both are misdemeanors.
He’s accused of bringing a loaded gun through security at the Longworth U.S. House Office Building.
Allsbrooks passed his bag through an X-ray at a security checkpoint before 7:40 a.m. Thursday, retrieved the bag and departed before police noticed the gun in the X-ray image, according to charging documents.
The doors were locked down and the building was put on a brief security alert while Capitol Police looked for him, which took four minutes, according to the charging documents.
Capitol Police said they’re undertaking an internal review of how the gun got through the checkpoint.
Charging documents said the gun was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition in a 15-round magazine, and was not registered in the District of Columbia. Allsbrooks has a concealed carry permit in Virginia, but not in D.C.
Allsbrooks works with the House Chief Administrative Office, a nonpartisan office that helps congressional officers with day-to-day operations.
He was released and is expected to return to court in February. His release conditions prohibit him from possessing a gun.
U.S. Capitol Police have been on high alert following a year marked by security breaches and deadly attacks at the Capitol, including the Jan. 6 insurrection.
- A U.S. Capitol Police officer died and another was badly injured on April 2 when a man rammed a car into them at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.
- A man drove a pickup truck onto a sidewalk outside the Library of Congress in August and claimed he had explosives, leading law enforcement to evacuate government buildings and nearby homes as they negotiated with the suspect.
- A man with multiple knives who said he was “on patrol” was arrested near Democratic National Committee headquarters in September, according to Capitol Police.
