The Associated Press
WASHINGTON- Police are investigating a loaded assault weapon found in a parking lot a block from the Supreme Court, a law enforcement official said.
Members of the Supreme Court police force discovered the machine pistol on Dec. 2 in the lot in the residential Capitol Hill neighborhood east of the Court and turned it over to the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. The U.S. Capitol is west of the Supreme Court.
Officials at the Supreme Court and Metropolitan Police Department would not identify the kind of weapon found, but a senior federal law enforcement official said it was a loaded MAC-10 machine pistol. It is capable of firing many bullets over a wide area in a few seconds. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because an investigation is under way.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has joined the investigation, said Officer Josue Alvida, a Washington police spokesman. No arrests have been made.
The area is heavily patrolled by police from several jurisdictions, including the U.S. Capitol Police since many members of Congress live in the neighborhood.