Pentagon Police Officer Dies After He’s Stabbed Multiple Times in Neck, Assailant Shot Dead
Emergency first responders investigate the scene of a shooting with multiple victims at a mass transit station outside the Pentagon on August 03, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, went into lockdown after it was reported that three individuals were shot. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A Pentagon police officer has been confirmed dead after he was stabbed multiple times in the neck outside the Pentagon Metro entrance Tuesday morning.

The police officer opened fire on the assailant after the attack started outside the Pentagon metro entrance. The suspect was shot dead by police, according to a CNBC report. However, it is not yet clear which police officer had killed the assailant.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, released his sentiments on Twitter. Warner said he was saddened to learn about the passing of a Pentagon police officer.

The chief of Pentagon police, Woodrow Kusse, had also confirmed the incident. Kusse noted that the police officer was attacked on a bus platform, and gunfire was exchanged.

Kusse said the scene was already secured and that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would lead the probe, which was a standard process, NPR reported.

The FBI has released a statement and said that there is no ongoing threat to the public. However, it did not add more details regarding the probe.

Kusse said it is still early to determine whether the attack was a terrorist incident.

Stabbing of the Pentagon Police Officer

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Austin William Lanz, 27, of Georgia. Lanz ambushed the Pentagon police officer.

He ran at him and stabbed the officer in the neck. Responding officers fired a shot and killed Lanz. Investigators were still trying to identify the motive for the attack.

They were digging into Lanz's background, including a possible history of mental illness or any reason why he might want to target the Pentagon or police officers, according to an Associated Press report.

Officials also believed that two bystanders were injured due to the incident. Lanz had been enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in October 2012. He was then "administratively separated" less than a month later.

The Corps said in a statement that the suspect has never earned the title Marine. Kusse noted that the Pentagon complex was secure and that they are not actively looking for another suspect at this time.

The stabbing incident occurred on a Metro bus platform, which is part of the Pentagon Transit Center. The bus platform is steps away from the Pentagon building.

Pentagon had earlier announced that the facility was on lockdown. However, this was lifted in the afternoon, except for the area around the crime scene.

It was not immediately known whether any additional security measures might be placed in the area. Defense Department press secretary John Kirby was at the White House with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when the incident happened.

In 2010, a gunman had opened fire at the Pentagon, which resulted in two police officers being injured. The gunman died from a gunshot wound in the head after police returned fire, ABC News reported.

At the time, investigators were looking into online rants against the government as a possible motive. The suspect was identified as John Patrick Bedell from Hollister, California. He was 36 years old when he died at the hospital.

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Written by: Mary Webber

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