The guard shot a male suspect who had stabbed a woman in an adjacent building, said Metropolitan Police Department's Jeff Brown, describing it as an "isolated incident."
The popular tourist destination, the second busiest rail station in the United States, was temporarily evacuated and some people "sheltered in place," Brown told reporters. The station is half a mile (1 km) from the US Senate.
Lots and lots of people standing outside Union Station right now pic.twitter.com/KJiv6hyZY3
— Melissa Quinn (@MelissaQuinn97) September 11, 2015
Union Station evacuated. Sirens and people everywhere pic.twitter.com/zU0LUfQDKM
— Kam Quarles (@KamQuarles) September 11, 2015
Scene here at Union Station @wnew pic.twitter.com/zp1pQgbJrm
— Robert Dawson (@DawsonRob) September 11, 2015
Following the shooting in the food court, the station was briefly evacuated, witnesses said.
City police said on Twitter there was "no active shooter" at Union Station, but that an investigation was under way.
The Washington Post, citing a police spokesperson, said security guards had shot a person.
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Sean Conway, also had no immediate information about the circumstances of the incident, which occurred on the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks -- when US authorities are on high alert.
Local television footage showed people streaming from the station, a main stop on the US East Coast rail line. Many commuters use Amtrak trains to travel between Boston, New York and Washington.
Union Station is also located near Capitol Hill.
https://twitter.com/ArthurDelaneyHP/status/642386503180648448
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