Washington Nationals Miscommunication Causes Brief National Security Evacuation
A simple pregame demonstration at Nationals Park earlier tonight led to the U.S. Capitol building being evacuated.
In what could have become a very dark day in American history, turned into a massive gaffe. The U.S. Capitol building was evacuated earlier this evening after it was reported an aircraft was heading toward the building — which was marked as a “probable threat”. The evacuation led to fear amongst the public and understandably so.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm that stemmed from miscommunication. Just over a mile down the road, the Washington Nationals were getting ready for their game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. At the game, they also decided to hold a pregame demonstration for the fans in attendance.
A U.S. Army parachute team nicknamed the Golden Knights was hired to fly over and parachute out onto the field. Sadly, the plane was mistaken as hostile, leading to the evacuation.
“The aircraft, a single-engine plane, was reported to be circling around Washington after taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, two people familiar with the matter. The people said the aircraft did not report taking off and did not have the appropriate clearance. The people were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Police later said the evacuation was ordered “out of an abundance of caution.””
It is still unclear why the event wasn’t properly recorded, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi isn’t pleased with the breakdown in miscommunication — releasing a statement earlier tonight. She stated:
“The Federal Aviation Administration’s apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover Nationals stadium is outrageous and inexcusable. The unnecessary caused by this apparent negligence was particularly harmful for Members, staff and institutional workers still grappling with the trauma of the attack on their workplace on January 6th.”
Pelosi also stated they will review everything to discover who was responsible.