here are live pictures from inova fairfax hospital. a very active scene there. you can see police and swat teams on the scene as police search for an an escaped prisoner. fairfax county police tweeted the photograph of the man they're looking for now. >> we'll turn around the picture and put on tv for you. it's out on social media. look for it there on the twitter and facebook accounts. of course the heavy police presence near the hospital. ♪ deidre & the dark - classic girl plays in the background ♪ a great entrance never goes out of style. dresses start at $25. the eva mendes collection. exclusively at new york and company. >>> back to the breaking news we're staying on top of this morning. >>> these are are live pictures from inova fairfax hospital. police are searching an escaped prisoner. here is the picture that fairfax county police tweeted. they're searching for him now. he could be on the grounds or around the hospital. apparently viewers are telling us they're receiving reverse 9-1-1 calls saying this is a man they're looking for and he should be consid

fairfax inova hospital on lock down now while police search for the man here. ty police telling us this man was being held by alexandria city on federal charges for armed robbery. he was being guarded by a private security guard. there was an altercation between the two. he overpowered the guard and took the gun. shots were fired and no one was hit. >> we'll have more on this throughout the morning, people of the coffee drinking world, dunkin' has a dark roast coffee that's deliciously roasted just right for a bold start and smooth finish that's never bitter. put down the dark roast you've been putting up with and reach for the one you deserve. ♪ ♪ wow something sounds sweet in here!!!! ♪ ♪ need a little honey in the bowl. yeah!!! badabopbopbopa!!! no? must be the honey!!! >>> staff for treatment for his injuries. around 3:00 this morning, a struggle took place where private security guards wrestled over one of the weapons that one of the security guards had. a shot was fired. at this time there are no reports of any injuries. he took control of the weapon and f

we're here at inova fairfax near the women's center wing over here. you can check out the entrance here. police have the presence here. that is blocked. i want do you pan over here to show you the garage. this is the blue garage. it's been a point of emphasis. we're seeing guns drawn here. kbranss and exits have been closed. choppers are overhead as well. the s.w.a.t. team is here. a big police presence here. we don't know exactly what is happening inside the hospital now. we're working to gather more information on that. i can tell you stay tuned with us and follow us on the nbc 4 washington app. we have updates there all morning long. back to you guys in the studio. >> zachary live in fairfax for us. thank you. >>> this morning we're learning about your safety concerns at the national zoo as a busy holiday weekend approaches and effort is underway to keep you safe while you're visiting the popular d.c. attraction. volunteers in washington are working to keep you safe this easter hold day weekend at the zoo. last year a 14-year-old shot into a crowde

now back out here live at inova fairfax hospital. i want you to take a look at the scene going on behind me. a heavy police presence. this has been this way since 3:00 this morning right after this happened. this is no longer an active shooter investigation. this initially started as an active shooter. but that has now turned into a prisoner escaped investigation. however, there is still a heavy police presence. the hospital is on lockdown after police tell us that this man escaped custody, or he was here at the hospital, took a gun and left. investigators tell us the guards were not hurt. it's not clear if anyone else was hurt. the prisoner they are looking for is 170-pounds, 6 feet tall. if you live in this area, stay indoors. if you see anything suspicious, call police immediately. we'll keep you updated here. avoid this area at gallows road as much as you can. back to you in the studio. thank you. our team coverage continues now with delia goncalves. >> she is live across the hospital campus. delia, what are you seeing? >> we're

her son was in inova fairfax hospital. she couldn't get a hold of him. >> he was hiding. >> reporter: did that make you nervous he was there? >> yeah, because we couldn't even call him to find out what was going on. >> reporter: she thinks changes in security are desperately needed. >> why wasn't he shackled either had hand cutchs you don't send a prisoner to a hospital without handcuffs? >> reporter: that's stale question that's part of the investigation. you heard pat collins mention he's going to have more on that coming up at 6:00. look over my shoulder. the sign "watch for children." it's spring break here in fairfax county. coming up at 6:00 one student's unique spring break experience. jim, back to you. zmooifd, thank you. more than 12 hours after it all began people around inova fairfax hospital still can't believe all that transpired there today. jackie bensen explains what this day has been like for folks there. jackie? >> reporter: well jim, despite the fear and even the terror that it must have been like for pe

the prisoner then escaped through a stairwell in inova fairfax hospital. as the chief probably said the man hunt started shortly after 3:00 a.m. this morning with numerous events and carjackings. that's all i have from the marshal service at this point. reporter: was he handcuffed this morning when he overpowered the guards? >> yes he was. reporter: he overpowered them with handcuffs? >> he was shackled but i don't know because it's an active investigation at this point, i don't know exactly what restraints were on him at the time. but he was in his -- on the hospital gurney bed. [inaudible] >> we have no knowledge of anything preplanned. reporter: can you talk about changes that you'd make changes right off the bat that you should make in terms of security? >> based on the full facts of the investigation, we'll have to find out what happened. if the contract security personnel violated the policy in terms of shackles and restraints and once that full investigation is done we'll certainly make changes to protocol. >> do you typically use contract instead o

ems arrived, decided further medical attentios n waneeded and took him to inova fairfax. for the first 24 hours alexandria deputy sheriffs stayed with assaye. then u.s. march officials took over. >> contract guard services, allied protective services took over with a two-person detail. >> reporter: the sheriff's office says the switch occurred because it's a practice stipulated in the agreement with the marshal to house federal inmates like assayeful federal inmates have been housed -- assaye. federal inmates have been housed here for decades, but a question is why contract guards at all. a sheriff's deputy said those are questions for the u.s. marshal because of that 24 hour exchange they nor longer responsible for the -- no longer responsible for the prisoner. the contractor is based in los angeles. little is known about the individual guards, but u.s. marshals began using contractors years ago. >> i'm told perhaps as much as 10 years ago headquarters okayed national contract services for security personnel. >> reporter: and now they plan to review how they guard prison

that's why he was brought here to inova fairfax on friday. not in custody with police. he was being watched and held by a private security company. there were two guards there watching over him. we don't know if he was handcuffed or what kind of security measures were in place. he was in one specific wing of this hospital. we know there was a struggle for the gun and a shot was fired. no one was hurt. no one was hit, thankfully, and iowa assaye got the gun and ran out of the house. police are looking for this man's girlfriend and they say that he may be with her. they say she may know how to get in touch with him. we know that right after he got out of the hospital, we know assaye stole a silver toyota camry. plate is xzp8153. really scary moment for the woman driving that toyota camry. he carjacked her. she got out of the car. she's okay. but then he took her car and ran off with it. we know that car has severe front end damage. so if you see that 2002 silver toyota camry, you should call police immediately. police have not been able to make

the prisoner then escaped through a stairwell in inova fairfax hospital. as the chief probably said, the manhunt started shortly after 3:00 a.m. this morning with numerous events of carjackings. that's all i have from the marshal service at this point. >>reporter: [ inaudible ] >> yes, he was. >>reporter: he overpowered them with handcuffs? >> he was shackled. what i don't know because it's an active investigation at this point, i don't know exactly what restraints were on him at the time, but he was in his -- on a hospital gurney bed. >>reporter: [ inaudible ] he planned to meet up with a girlfriend or family member? >> we have no indication at this time if this was preplanned through a third party. >>reporter: can you tell us how you handle security prisoners in a medical setting? >> yes. >>reporter: [ inaudible ] >> well, based on the full facts of the investigation, what we'll have to do is find out what happened, if the contract security personnel violated policy in terms of shackles and restraints and once that full investigation is done, we'll certa

this escape and manhunt began at inova fairfax hospital at 3:00 a.m. twisted through annandale and wound up ending in the district. >> our team of reporters has been breaking news on this story all day. we begin with pat collins in southeast where this all ended. >> reporter: a prisoner's daring escape using a guard as a human shield stealing two cars to make his getaway. cops flooding the annandale section trying to hunt him down only to have him picked you have getting off a bus in southeast. it was one of the biggest manhunts in recent memory. hundreds of law enforcement officers feds state, local. heavily armed on foot in trucks, in the air. in fairfax county for hours searching for wossen assaye only to find him miles away in d.c. picked up by police there after he got off a bus at 25th and pennsylvania avenue southeast. >> they dragged him. they got him in the back of the car, started taking his boots and stuff off and everything making sure he didn't have a weapon. it was unbelievable. it was like it wasn't real. >> reporter: it began around 3:0

the morning where he escaped from fairfax inova hospital around 3:00 a.m. getting away from two guards keeping him there. he then carjacked two of the vehicles in annandale and after that the search ended up here in southeast d.c. where 25th street minnesota avenue and pennsylvania avenue all converge in southeast d.c. now, we have got continuing team coverage of this story for you this afternoon beginning with suzanne kennedy at the hospital. we have stephen tschida in southeast where it all ended. but let's begin now with northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg. he is in alexandria. jeff? jeff: leon 42-year-old wossen assaye appeared in federal court this afternoon at 3:30 wearing a white plastic jump suit. heavily shackled and watched over by four deputy u.s. marshals. he was officially charged with escaping the custody of the u.s. attorney general. it started well before the break of dawn. quickly escalating into an active man hunt involving hundreds of local and federal officers. >> we consider this man to be armed and dangerous. jeff: police say

that's why he was taken to inova fairfax hospital. our tisha thompson is in alexandria now where assaye was under much tighter security in court today. tisha? >> reporter: jim, one of the questions we've been getting tonight is why wasn't wossen assaye charged with other crimes stealing cars and we're told it depend on what's possible what prosecutors describe is appropriate. he's only facing one charge of escaping custody from the attorney general because they know what that's what happened today. he was previously facing one charge of bank robbery even though investigators want to link him to at least 12 different bank robberies. he appeared in court in a very thin white plastic jump suit. it was open to his naval. you can see that his chest was bear. he didn't appear to be wearing any undergarments. he had no shoes, no shirt, just that plastic jump suit. he was wearing shackles. he was wearing handle cuffs. and he was surrounded at all times by four u.s. marshals who stood around him and his attorneys sitting at their table in a se

police say the man was in the custody of a private security guard at inova fairfax hospital. looking at live pictures right now. when he escaped grabbing the officer's gun. the two struggled and a shot went off. nobody was hit. right now the hospital is on complete lockdown. staff being bussed in from a nearby high school. be sure to keep you updated on this developing story throughout the morning. >>> much closer to home, fire crews still the scene after a late-night fire destroyed four homes under construction. it happened after 9:00 last night in dublin off oflon road. crews were called in from livermore to help fight the flames. we got this video from a viewer who posted it on twitter. firefighters were able to keep the flames away from homes that are complete. no one was hurt but because this is a development under construction, crews say they have problems early on. >> difficult time finding the location because no streets on the map. as you can see behind me, there was four homes urn construction in a six-frame bay that were all fully involved upon our arrival. our cre

reporting live at inova fairfax hospital, suzanne kennedy, abc 7 news. alison: we remind you to stay with abc 7 and wjla.com for my new developments in this investigation. our live team coverage will continue tonight on abc 7 news at 5:00. leon: believe it or not, this isn't the only chase in the area. the chase was unrelated for the escape of a prisoner. it hit several other cars and the driver of that car was lakisha tracy. she had only outstanding warrants in arlington county for credit card theft and identity theft. alison: let's turn to the weather now and looking live outside, we want to know if you'll have an umbrella handy if you're heading out tonight. leon: some can see showers this evening. standing by in the stormwatch weather center. rain moving in tonight, doug. doug: let's take you high above the belfort furniture weather center and looking towards the east. it's a bright line in the horizon because the heavier cloudiness is moving in from the north and the west. along that to the north and the west. close to the metro area still gusty win

. >> a prisoner who escaped from inova fairfax hospital has been captured in d.c. he is wossen assaye, a suspected serial bank robber. he was arrested earlier this month but then transferred to the hospital after trying to kill himself. police say earlier today he overpowered two private security guards, wrestled away a gun, fired a shot and escaped dressed in his hospital gown. the hospital went into lockdown. police mounted a huge search that lasted for hours. police say assaye carjacked two vehicles found, found clothes somewhere and made his way to d.c. thanks to a tip from a metrobus passenger police caught up with him as he stepped off that bus in southeast d.c. late this afternoon he appeared before a judge who ordered him held without bond. >>> a prince george's county police officer is now suspended after his supervisors learned he could be involved with a hazing incident. corporal jesse stewart, jr. had been charged in connection with that crime. stephanie ramirez is in the newsroom where we know this officer is a 21 year veteran with the prince george's

he was taken to inova fairfax hospital, his condition unknown. the u.s. secret service is investigating two separate incidents at a white house. a vendor cart caught fire on g street and at the same time a bomb sniffing dog detected something on 16th street and constitution avenue. the vehicle and area were swept by the secret service and other agencies. there is no indication the incidents are related. president obama is in alabama for the 50th anniversary of the historic march in selma. on that day in 1965, many in a crowd of 600 were beaten by state troopers as they tried to cross the edmund pettus bridge. >> the nations first african-american president walking in the footsteps of the freedom fighters who paved his future and altered history 50 years ago today. thousands gathered in selma to remember that day in 1965, when peaceful protesters marched across the edmund pettus bridge, demanding equality. >> you are order to disperse. reporter: state troopers armed with clubs and tear gas. it was a tipping point that prove the power of nonviolence to star

wrestle away her gun and use her as a shield while the other guard fired a single shot at him inside inova fairfax hospital. >> he was shackled. >> i heard a large crash and a lady screaming. >> reporter: he allegedly carjacked two different people in fairfax county, one just blocks from the hospital, the other in a nandale. he burst out of a woman's trunk and into her back seat while she was driving. >> she was standing here you need to call police, 911. >> reporter: for nine hours hundreds of heavily armed fairfax county police, the state police, the fbi, the u.s. marshals hunted him, converging on every possible sighting. >> a little scary. you look out your window and see all these police cars with policemen and their big guns. >> reporter: how he ended up on a bus in d.c. still a mystery. >> he was talking to himself. he was cursing. really nutty crazy. >> reporter: marshals taking no chances this time. they had an extra follow car for wossen assaye's drive from the courthouse back to the alexandria jail. now there's a very strange setup for federal prisoners in this area. the u.s. marshal ha

he was in custody when he escaped from inova fairfax hospital. that is less than 10 miles from washington, d.c. let's go live to nbc's tracie potts in washington. tracie we're hearing the prisoner's gun belonged to a security guard. >> exactly. local police hired private security to watch him. he was in a local jail on federal armed robbery charges. we're now learning from the police department he tried to hurt himself. they took him to the hospital. at some point he overpowered that guard, took his gun and fled with no shoes and appear hospital gown. this has been going on for several hours now. residents in the area getting 911 calls, reverse 911 calls urging them to be on the lookout. it's not clear if he's in or around the hospital or escaped into the neighborhood. obviously a very dangerous situation. initially we were told there were shots fired. we know now from police shots were fired. it's not clear if it was from this escaped suspect or if it was from police shooting at him. we do have a little more information now about his background

police say he was in the custody of a private security guard at inova fairfax hospital in falls church, virginia. he grabbed the officer's gun. staff are being bussed in from a nearby high school. police are stopping random cars in the area looking for that suspect. we'll update you throughout the morning. >>> firefighters are watching for hotspots in a new neighborhood in dublin. >> fire destroyed four homes under construction in the preserve at jordan ranch late last night. the neighborhood is so new some of the street names don't even show up yet on the map. we have the latest on the investigation. >> reporter: we dealt with some of what the firefighters were dealing with as well. we found embers still burning there on the burned-out construction site behind me. and it was a fire that was visible from the freeway. a viewer gave us video of the fire. the height so, dramatic. close to near the livermore outlet mall. four homes on fire still under construction. at least two of them were two stories. the fire went to two alarms and crews from livermore joined in the battle to keep the f

they went to inova, fairfax hospital where police were called but so far no charges have been filed. >>> a bit of an ebola scare. a person got sick after they recently got back from west africa. the person went to the uva hospital. they're still there for treatment now. this individual tested negative for ebola, but anyone who may have come into contact with the virus has to be monitored for 21 days. >>> tonight a family friend of walter fauntroy tells news 4 they've asked the state department to help find d.c.'s former delegate to congress. earlier friends said they were concerned about him. he's known to traffic extensively to africa and dubai and have very little contact with anyone back home. but his nephew released a statement, as anyone with an 82-year-old relative we are concerned about his well-being. while we are uncertain about his current whereabout we remain hopeful that he's well and will return soon. >>> a local fbi agent's been indict for stealing and using heroin from the fbi's evidence room. investigators say agent matt lowry would replace it with powdered laxative.

police have confirmed that officers were transferring him from alexandria jail to inova fairfax hospitalce deputy and escaped. the suspect is considered armed and dangerous. in fact, police say he has a gun and is wearing a hospital gown. heavily armed police are on the scene as you can see there searching parking garages in the area of the children's center and women's center. every major entrance to the hospital campus is currently closed off. police are also reportedly searching neighborhoods next to the hospital. again, that prisoner has escaped during an attempt to transfer him to a hospital. he is considered armed and dangerous with a gun and wearing a hospital gown. we don't know exactly why that transfer was occurring but obviously authorities are scouring there area to protect residents in that area as well as protect the patients and staff at that hospital which again, is on lockdown. of course we'll keep you updated on this story on 6abc and 6abc.com. for now we're live in the sat center erin o'hearn, channel6 "action news. tam, back to you. >> has to be so frightening for eve

. >>> inova fairfax hospital locked down for an armed felon on the loose, two carjackings in the annandaled the capture of the escapee spotted cursing and muttering to himself on the streets of d.c. >> wossen assaye in jail tonight after striking fear among residents across northern virginia. bruce leshan is live at alexandria federal court where the suspected bank robber has already gone back in front of a judge. >> reporter: he could get another five years for escape, that in addition to the decades he could face for allegedly robbing as many as a dozen banks and escaping on a bicycle. at the initial appearance here you could barely hear him. he seemed to be moaning at times. he was barefoot dressed only in a white plastic jumpsuit unzipped almost to his groin. his escape is the stuff of

that is what we have seen here.this is an apartment community literally right next to inova fairfax hospitalolice chopper flying up all morning long. as a told you earlier, we can tell you that police officer's, the cruisers here, they took off at a high rate of speed about 10 to 15 minutes ago. we now know that they were in pursuit of that pickup truck and are now telling us that it was not in any way related to the situation with the inmate so the search continues right now, this man considered armed and dangerous, many of the residents have been told all morning long as they continue to leave for work that if they are going to be heading back to their homes in the next couple of hours or so that they should stay indoors , to lock their doors and not be outside. we have seen a number of folks walking their dogs, becoming aware of what was going on, they ran back into their homes. police have made it very clear not only to the neighborhood but to us that they do not know exactly what they are dealing with right now with this man. he is obviously armed and dangerous, he made that clear this

as far as the wounded man, we understand he's at inova fairfax hospital and he has not been charged at this time. i'm peggy fox. back to you. >>> fairfax police are trying to solve a murder mystery in annandale. a man had some sort of trauma on his upper body and now cops are trying to figure out who this guy is and who killed him. >>> another greek organization is in serious trouble tonight. cap akappa delta row has been suspended while police look through a facebook with private pages of nude women. police got a tip back in january and that page also allegedly contains pictures of drug deals and hazing. >>> a u.s. air force veteran fired from his job as an airplane mechanic recently is accused of plotting to travel to syria to join isis. he is 47-year-old terad pugh of neptune, new jersey. federal prosecutors say he was stopped at the turkish border. pugh had been indicted on charges of trying to provide support to a terrorist group. he's due in court tomorrow in new york city. >>> illinois congressman aaron shock announced he's stepping down from office the end of this month. the of

he was flown to inova fairfax hospital with life-threatening injuries. >>> right now, supporters of the purple line are planning together in annapolis to get the attention of governor larry hogan. a rally is set to start at 5:00 this afternoon. the purple line would run from bethesda to new carrollton and connect with new metro and marc. those in favor say it will create 27,000 permanent jobs and reduce air pollution. those against it worry about the cost and impact on local neighborhoods. >>> the man accused of shooting at drivers at the icc and nsa will stay in jail for now. an anne arundel county judge denied bail today for hong young. prosecutors say they found evidence he planned to leave the country. young is charged with attempted murder for a shooting at anne arundel mills mall that injured a man. he's accused in four other shootings. they include the inner county connector in prince george's county outside of the nsa headquarters and shooting near a movie theater. >>> developing right now, protests erupt over a controversial shooting. how their message is disrupting things this

they went to inova fairfax hospital. police and a mongolian embassy representative arrived there. the search warrant affidavit documents their physical injuries. one woman had multiple contusions and lacerations and required nine stitches. the other had a handle print bruise on one leg and a large abrasion over her right eye. >> the allegations are extremely serious and extremely disturbing and concerning that people would come here to study from another country and have something like this happen. >> reporter: the fairfax county police executed a search warrant at the burke home seizing floor samples that reveal red stains and they seized electronics there. no arrests have yet been made. police want to hear from anyone who may have fallen victim under similar circumstances. they especially worry that those coming here from other countries might be reluctant to contact police. >> many people in other cultures are afraid to contact police. so it wouldn't be uncommon perhaps if there are other victims in a situation like this or related to this situation who haven't called police fo

they went to inova fairfax hospital. police and a mongolian embassy representative arrived there. the search warrant affidavit documents their physical injuries. one woman had multiple contusions and lacerations and required nine stitches. the other had a handprint bruise on one leg and a large abrasion over her right eye. >> the allegations are extremely serious and extremely disturbing and concerning that people would come here to study from another country and have something like this happen. our detective believes the victims and is working very hard on this case. >> reporter: the fairfax county police executed a search warrant at the burke home seizing floor samples that reveal red stains and they seized electronics there. >> this is an ongoing investigation and certainly the lab work will be key into whether or not charges will be placed. >> reporter: coming up on news 4 at 6:00 i'll tell you more about why police think there could be more victims. they would like anyone with information that could be helpful to this case to contact the detective directly. you can go to our

authorities say the suspected bank robber was being transferred from jail to inova fairfax hospital aboutten miles outside of washington, d.c. he was in the custody of private security guards but managed to overpower them and steal one of their guns. >> at 3:00 this morning he got into a struggle with one of the security guards. and a round was discharged from the security guard's weapon. >> reporter: police tweeted this image of him saying "he's wearing a hospital gown and no shoes and armed with a gun." he carjacked two different vehicles during his escape. he broke into the trunk of the first car and hid there until the owner drove to work. >> while commuting to work in the area of the hospital, mr. sayer started to kick out the back seat from inside the trunk. the vehicle then crashed and he then committed a carjacking. >> reporter: he was arrested in connection with a bank robbery. he's believed to be involved in a string of about a dozen bank robberies in northern virginia. >> this is the suspect that robbed the banks in the region using a bicycle. >> reporter: law enforcement sourc

a helicopter had to be called in to fly the employee to inova fairfax hospital but firefighters say he is. >>> the winter weather has left millions of potholes in it wake. not only a nuisance for you but they're doing a number on your car. news4's david culvert is live in fairfax where he caught up with crews trying to give you a smooth ride. >> reporter: if you were here last week in fairfax and were driving along route 29 you would have noted it was snow covered, icy in some parts but tonight all clear. but it's just that that back and forth in the weather, cold then warm then cold again. it's led to a bumpy and now costly commute. just about every time you hit one, you cringe. look at this stretch of blake lane in fairfax. the only way to dodge all of these would be to go off road. not an option. >> the tire changes and tows from potholes and stuff like that are just -- it's out of control. >> reporter: dan would know. fairfax towing and recovery among the many wrecker services keeping busy thanks to -- >> you can see this customer actually her tire has some dry rotting. >> reporter

. >> this started at 3:00 this morning here at inova fairfax hospital when a suspect by the name of osan overpowered two private security guards, took one gun, a shot wars fired, nobody injured. he then escaped. that led to a massive police presence here and s.w.a.t. teams surrounding the hospital going door to door, room to room looking for the suspect. they think he got out of the hospital by hiding in somebody's car and then eventually that car was crashed. he then fled the scene. meanwhile, adding to the chaos on the morning, an unrelated police chase on the beltway here, chasing a woman in a pickup truck. she was wanted in a credit card fraud scheme. the police actually to crash into her car, box her car in. they then had to smash the window to get her out. she was taken into custody. meanwhile, right now the chase continues looking for this original suspect who escaped from the hospital here. again, the name is wassen assaye. so far, nobody has been injured. nobody -- no other shots fired. but the police are very anxious to find the suspect. they think he's armed and dangerous here