Man in custody after Capitol police investigate suspicious vehicle outside Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police took a Michigan man into custody Tuesday following an investigation into a suspicious SUV in front of the Supreme Court.

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Authorities identified the man as Dale Paul Melvin, 55, of Kimball.

“One of our teams just moved in and (extricated) the man from the SUV,” police said in a tweet posted at 11 a.m. “The man is in custody. Everyone is safe.”

Update 2:30 p.m. EDT Oct. 5: Authorities have charged Melvin with one count each of failure to obey and assault on a police officer, according to Capitol Police.

In a news release, police said Melvin visited the Capitol Complex in August and made “concerning statements.” They did not elaborate on the statements he made.

Officers arrested him Tuesday morning after he illegally parked an SUV in front of the Supreme Court. Police said he appeared frustrated and told officers, “The time for talking is done,” before refusing to speak with authorities.

A tactical team arrested him about an hour and a half later, authorities said.

No weapons were immediately found in the SUV, although police said Tuesday afternoon that they were still searching the vehicle.

Update 12 p.m. EDT Oct. 5: The incident began around 9:30 a.m., when police said a man pulled his SUV up in front of the Supreme Court and illegally parked.

“Our officers immediately responded,” Deputy Chief Jason Bell said at a news conference. “The man refused to talk, made a statement to the effect of, ‘The time for talking is done.’ At that time, we backed off.”

Crisis negotiation officers were called in to try to talk to Melvin, who refused to speak to authorities. He was arrested around 11 a.m. after Capitol Police teams moved in, Bell said.

It was not immediately clear why Melvin stopped outside of the Supreme Court. Bell said no weapons were immediately found in his vehicle, which was still being processed following the incident.

“It’s still an active investigation,” the deputy chief said. “We don’t have a motivation at this time.”

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Police investigate suspicious vehicle outside Supreme Court A United States Capitol Police officer uses binoculars to watch a suspicious vehicle parked in front of the Supreme Court on October 05, 2021 in Washington, DC. Police tried for over an hour to communicate with the driver inside the vehicle, before using a flash bang device to get him out of the car. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Original report: Just before 10 a.m., police asked people to avoid the area and closed streets surrounding the Supreme Court as they investigated.

“We are still trying to talk to the driver,” authorities said in a tweet posted around 10:50 a.m. “Please continue to avoid the area.”

A few minutes later, authorities used a flash bang device and took Melvin into custody, CNN reported.

It was not immediately clear why Melvin was stopped in front of the Supreme Court. Justices returned to begin their new session at the nation’s highest court on Monday.

Authorities are expected to provide more information at a news conference Tuesday morning.

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