(JustPatriots.com)- A situation at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland resulted in one person being arrested and another still on the loose as Vice President Kamala Harris was just arriving at the base.
Security personnel at the base reported that they deployed barriers to stop the vehicle of the two intruders around 9 p.m. on Sunday night, when the vehicle failed to follow commands that officers had shouted out at the Main Gate of the base. A release from personnel at the base said that no shots were fired during the incident.
A statement was posted to the Facebook page of the Joint Base Andrews Sunday night that read:
“We can confirm that the individual who was apprehended had a weapon, but no shots have been fired. … There is not an active shooter situation at Joint Base Andrews.”
Harris was arriving at the base on Air Force Two at 8:47 p.m., only a few minutes before the two suspects arrived. She was coming from Selma, Alabama, at an event that marked the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
To this point, officials haven’t announced any motive behind the two people coming to the base armed.
On Monday morning, officials at the base say they conducted a full sweep of the surrounding area. They found evidence that indicated to them that the second intruder “departed the installation.”
At 8:51 p.m., both Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, boarded Marine Two and then left the base right around 9 p.m.
The vice president’s office told a pool of reporters that everyone who was traveling safely departed the base. Traveling with her was Michael Regan, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; Marcia Fudge, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Miguel Cardona, the secretary of Education; and Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of Transportation.
The reporter pool that was traveling alongside of Harris went on a separate plane. Many reporters said when they landed at Joint Base Andrews, they saw various people searching with flashlights through wooded areas nearby. Many police cars were also traveling at high rates of speed.
Many media outlets have reported that the person who is in custody was a 17-year-old male. He was the one who was armed with a firearm. He is still in police custody.
In a release after the incident was over, the installation commander at the Joint Base Andrews, Colonel Tyler Schaff, said:
“I am incredibly proud of the quick actions of our Defenders to immediately deploy the barriers to stop last night’s stolen vehicle and then apprehend one of the individuals that had a weapon. The Defenders handled the intense situation with discipline and calm professionalism.
“We are also thankful for our partnerships with local authorities, who responded rapidly on base to assist the 316th Security Forces Group throughout the night.”
In addition to the security forces at the base, the Maryland State Police, the Prince George’s County Police and the Metropolitan Police Department helped in the investigation.
