Bart Jansen

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — A Tennessee man faces two assault charges after he brandished a weapon and forced a lockdown at the U.S. Capitol's visitor center on Monday.

Police charged Larry Dawson, 66, with assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a police officer while armed, U.S. Capitol Police said Tuesday.

Dawson remains in critical but stable condition after police shot him at a checkpoint at the Capitol Visitor Center, an underground gateway into the Capitol building. Dawson will be brought to D.C. Superior Court to answer to the charges after he is released from the hospital, police said. His vehicle will be searched after police obtain a search warrant.

Dawson entered the visitor center at 2:39 p.m. and allegedly displayed the weapon during a routine screening process, police said. An officer shot him.

The Capitol complex was locked down for about an hour after the incident. Witnesses described a scary situation where those near the building were told to run away as fast as they could, and those inside were told to remain in place in secure rooms.

A female bystander suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said. No officers were injured.

Capitol shooting suspect had brushes with the law in Tennessee

Dawson has had previous brushes with the law. He was a one-time funeral director who lost his license and a Williamson County school bus driver who was fired for harassing a teenage girl and a self-styled church pastor. Dawson filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and, between 2000 and 2012, accrued 16 tax liens and small-claims judgments against him.

Dawson was charged in October after declaring himself a “prophet of God” in the House chamber. He was released, but never appeared in court and a bench warrant was issued Nov. 19 for his arrest.

Capitol shooting suspect identified as Larry Dawson