ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. – A Pentagon officer died Tuesday after being stabbed during a burst of violence at a transit station outside the building, and a suspect in the incident was shot by law enforcement and died at the scene, officials told The Associated Press.
The officer was among multiple people injured at the scene near the entrance of the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military
According to the AP, the suspect was identified by multiple law enforcement officials as 27-year-old Austin William Lanz of Georgia.
Arlington Fire and EMS, which responded to the shooting at about 11 a.m. ET said it encountered multiple patients at the scene, but it wasn't immediately clear if they had been shot or the extent of the injuries.
Pentagon Police Chief Woodrow Kusse provided an update on the incident Tuesday afternoon, though he remained tight-lipped about details of the investigation.
“This morning at about 10:37 a.m. a Pentagon officer was attacked on the Metro bus platform, gunfire was exchanged, and there were several casualties,” said Kusse.
Kusse said the incident is over, the scene is secure, and there’s no continuing threat to the community.
The police chief would not confirm or deny whether an officer or the suspect was among those killed in the incident.
The police chief is also choosing not to elaborate on the nature of the attack, saying he doesn't want to compromise the investigation into the incident, which is being led by the FBI.
The motive of the attack is unclear at this time, according to Kusse.
The Pentagon was on lockdown due to “police activity” for more than an hour, but the lockdown was later lifted when the Pentagon Force Protection Agency said the scene of the incident was secure.
The agency has asked the public to avoid the area.
"We request that everyone stay away from the Metro rail entrance and bus platform area. Transportation at the Pentagon is diverted to Pentagon City," wrote the agency.
The Pentagon building is located in Arlington County, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
