A crash Wednesday on Capitol Hill between a military vehicle in a District of Columbia National Guard convoy and an SUV is under investigation.
The driver of the SUV had to be freed from the vehicle by firefighters and was sent to a nearby hospital with a minor head laceration, according to the local fire department.
A joint task force overseeing troops in the city “remains committed to the safety of our service members and the public,” D.C. National Guard spokesperson Capt. Tinashe Machona said.
The armored vehicle involved in the collision was a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle, or MATV. The 14-ton truck was introduced more than a decade ago as a smaller, more mobile version of the larger MRAP, or Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. Their windshields offer less visibility than those found on civilian cars, and their size makes it difficult to drive MATVs in tight spaces.
The Guard was activated last week to support an increased federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital after President Donald Trump declared a public safety emergency.
National Guard members do not have law enforcement authorities and are currently unarmed. An official told Military Times that arming Guard members in the nation’s capital is currently under consideration.
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