Police shoot and kill armed man near US Capitol

WASHINGTON – A chaotic scene unfolded near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday after police shot and killed an armed man in what authorities described as a routine rush hour traffic stop that turned deadly. U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Schneider said the unidentified 35-year-old man sped away in a white car after being told to stop about a block north of the Capitol grounds. The man drove the wrong way down a street, ultimately striking two officers with his car, and crashed into a police cruiser, she said.

Police then opened fire after seeing the man hold up his handgun and refusing to put it down, said Schneider, who described the melee as "very fast moving, very fluid." "The officers felt they were being threatened — they were in fear for their lives," Schneider said. She did not know if the man ever fired at police. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090716/ap_on_...