FRANKFORT, KY—The state Capitol building and Capitol Annex were placed on lockdown Tuesday morning, following a police chase of an armed man that ended near the Capitol.
Frankfort police had flagged down a reportedly stolen vehicle parked on Leawood Drive, to the West of the Capitol building, at 8:04 a.m. according to Frankfort Police Department spokeswoman Lynn Aubrey. Two men fled on foot from the vehicle and one of them shot at officers, Aubrey said.
Both the Capitol building and the annex were on lockdown, with no visitors allowed entry, before 9 a.m. The lockdown was lifted later in the morning.
The armed man was in custody, while the other one — who went in the opposite direction of the Capitol — was still at large, according to Aubrey. That man did not fire shots at police.
"We alerted KSP (Kentucky State Police) that we were chasing somebody believed to be armed in the area, so they had locked down the annex and the Capitol," Aubrey said.
Police had followed the man down a ravine and onto Shelby Street, near the Capitol building. The chase continued onto the other side of the building, as police had identified that the suspect was in the Capitol Annex garage.
Aubrey identified the detained suspect as Joshua Gibson, a 23 year-old from Louisville. Gibson was booked into Franklin County Regional Jail at 11 a.m. with charges of fleeing or evading police, criminal trespassing and receiving stolen property of $10,000 or more.
No police were shot, nor did police fire at Gibson. Aubrey stated that one officer sustained an injury to his knee during the chase.
KSP and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office assisted in the armed man's capture, Aubrey said.
In a statement, Gov. Andy Beshear's office said: "The Governor appreciates the professionalism and swift response from the Frankfort City Police, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the Kentucky State Police."
As of 10:45 A.M., the Capitol and Capitol Annex were not open to visitors.
Some schools in the area near the Capitol were also placed on lockdown early Tuesday.
"We are currently in lockdown due to police order," said a text from Frankfort Independent Schools. "There is no threat inside any of our buildings. All exterior an interior doors are locked. Teaching is still occurring. We are not allowing anyone in and out of the buildings at this time."
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