WASHINGTON — In the third alarming incident in a week, Capitol Police have arrested a man the agency said tried to barge through a fortified checkpoint near the Capitol Building.
Police said the man, who they have yet to name, assaulted three officers, resisted arrest, and damaged a police cruiser, after trying to enter a restricted area on Louisiana Ave., NW near Lower Senate Park.
A D.C. judge also just released a 71-year-old man, Dennis Westover, and ordered him to stay away from the city pending trial. Capitol Police said they arrested that man Wednesday with a gun, 20 rounds of ammo, and a list of members of Congress.
He'd driven from South Charleston, West Virginia, and was allegedly screaming at guardsmen and demanding to know why there was a fence around "My Capitol."
On his Facebook page, Westover has repeated baseless allegations about election fraud and helped organize rallies to overturn the results of the last election.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Wednesday, warning of potential lingering violence by domestic, violent extremists including those who might be emboldened by the Capitol riots.
The Jan. 6 insurrection, Wednesday's nationwide domestic terror alert and three arrests in the last week have a lot of people on Capitol Hill unnerved.
"Never before have I found myself as I'm traveling from my home to my office on Capitol Hill having to think about my personal safety," Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) said/
Brown said he's worried about outside attackers, but also the risk from armed members of Congress, and those who refuse to wear masks.
"I'm just as concerned about that as a member carrying a firearm on the floor of the House of Representatives," he said.
Members of Congress can carry guns on the grounds, but not on the House or Senate floors. Brown's fears are echoed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"I do believe and I have said this all along we will probably need a supplemental for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives, a threat that members are concerned about in addition to what is happening outside," Pelosi said.
RELATED: Acting US Capitol Police chief wants permanent fencing, police presence at Capitol following riots
In the ever-expanding security perimeter around Washington, the acting Capitol Police chief is calling for "vast improvements to the physical security," including "permanent fencing" and police forces in close proximity to the Capitol.
Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted that she would not accept extra troops or permanent fencing as a long-term fixture in DC. And she wasn't alone.
“I adamantly oppose the construction of permanent fencing around the U.S. Capitol Complex," Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) said. "A fence didn’t fail us on Jan. 6. Law enforcement leaders did."
Wexton continued by saying she supported protecting the Capitol, but expressed her desire to hold those responsible for the security failures accountable.
"It is abundantly clear that we need to enhance Capitol security, but that security must be flexible to the threats we face. It’s also imperative that our law enforcement leadership takes seriously the danger of extremist violence," she said. "I believe we can keep Members, press, staff, my constituents, and all those who work here safe without walling off the symbol of our democracy. It’s the People’s House—let’s keep it that way.”