Man with a rifle arrested in a park near US Capitol

WASHINGTON — A man with a rifle was arrested in a park near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, police said.

Police confronted the 21-year-old man from Atlanta after someone saw him with the gun in a park near Senate office buildings and told an officer, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. Police demanded that he drop the gun, but he refused and they used a Taser stun gun to subdue him.

The park and roads in the area across from Washington’s Union Station were closed for about two hours as officers searched the area and the man’s belongings.

Officers said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat. It was not immediately clear why the man was in Washington.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he was proud of officers who “ran toward the man with the loaded gun.”

Carrying firearms is prohibited on U.S. Capitol grounds. So far this year, U.S. Capitol Police have confiscated more than 30 guns.

After the arrest, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports a ban on guns often referred to as assault weapons. “We are keeping a constant vigilance on security” in the Capitol, he said.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this story.