Police arrested a suspect outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon for allegedly setting fire to a court police car, which was parked in the lot near the Supreme Court building, in broad daylight.
Supreme Court spokesperson Kathleen Arberg told Fox News correspondent Edward Lawrence in a statement that the suspect managed to injure himself in the process and was subsequently arrested, but was then sent to a local hospital for unspecified treatment because of his injuries.
“An individual poured an accelerant on and set on fire an unmarked Supreme Court police vehicle parked on Maryland Ave. near First Street, NE. The car was totally burned and an adjacent Court vehicle was also damaged,” said Arberg.
“The individual suffered burns in the process. He was taken into custody by Supreme Court Police and was transported by ambulance for treatment of his injuries,” she said.
The statement continues; “The individual suffered burns in the process. He was taken into custody by Supreme Court Police and was transported by ambulance for treatment of his injuries.” #SCOTUS
— Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) July 15, 2020
The suspect was the only person injured in the alleged arson, and he only suffered minor injuries, according to Fox News. His identity has not been released, and a motive has not yet been determined.
A witness to the scene told WUSA9: “I heard someone shriek and run away right after the fireball caught my eye. I saw a flash, but unfortunately didn’t see enough to be able to identify them.”
Video purportedly from the scene shows a car burning in the parking lot, with the person who posted the video describing it in the caption of the video as “in the process of exploding periodically.”
It’s still in the process of exploding periodically. Outdoor lunch break is OVER.
— Marissa D. Barrera (@mdb2) July 15, 2020
The Wednesday incident occurred the same day Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, was discharged from the hospital after seeking treatment for a fever and a “possible infection.”
In a press release announcing Ginsburg’s hospital stay on Tuesday, the court spokesperson said Ginsburg was “initially evaluated at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., last night after experiencing fever and chills. She underwent an endoscopic procedure at Johns Hopkins this afternoon to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August.”
While the court spokesperson initially said Ginsburg would remain in the hospital for “a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment,” the court spokesperson has since revealed that Ginsburg is “at home and doing well,” according to CBS News.
Ginsburg was also briefly hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital back in May after she experienced an infection related to a gallbladder condition. The Justice spent a night in the hospital, but was released the following day and participated in oral arguments from the hospital, as the court was not conducting business in-person anyway.