Photo by afagen

On Friday night, Twitter started to buzz with reports of an AK47 assault rifle that was recovered after gunfire and a chase near the White House. At first, it was unclear if shots were fired at the White House or near the White House.

Shortly after the incident, U.S. Park Police and a spokesman for the Secret Service confirmed that they had received reports of shots fired near the White House and two vehicles speeding on Constitution Avenue toward 17th Street. It’s possible that gunshots erupted during a confrontation between the people in the vehicles, one of which was abandoned near the Roosevelt Bridge a few blocks away. A loaded AK-47 assault rifle was found inside the vehicle and cartridges were found on Constitution Avenue. There were no injuries and no reports that anyone has been taken into custody.

From the Washington Post:

The incident created a flurry of law enforcement activity, but a U.S. Park Police spokesman cast doubt on the possibility that the White House was a target.
“The reason why this is of interest is because of the location,” said Sgt. David Schlosser, the spokesman.

Shots fired for any reason are extremely rare in the area of the White House.

According to the Secret Service, members of the service’s uniformed division heard shots fired a few minutes after 9 p.m. on Constitution Avenue between 15th and 17th streets. At the same time, the officers saw two vehicles heading west on the avenue, and issued a radio alert.

President Obama and the First Lady were not in the White House on Friday night.