Arrest Made in Shooting Near Walter Reed

WASHINGTON - A contract security guard at Walter Reed Army Medical Center fired at another guard Wednesday during an argument outside the main entrance to the complex, District of Columbia police said. No one was injured.

The argument began about 8:45 a.m., and shortly afterward one of the guards pulled out his gun and fired at least 10 shots, police Cmdr. Hilton Burton said. No one was hit by the gunfire, but bullets did hit least two cars across the street, he said.

"This was rush hour on a busy thoroughfare. There were cars and pedestrians in the line of fire," Burton said.

A Walter Reed surveillance video of the shooting shows two civilians ducking to avoid the gunfire, Burton said. Police were still reviewing the video Wednesday, and there were no immediate plans to release it.

The target of the gunshots, whose name was not released, ran to a nearby house and called police.

The other guard, Dwan Thigpen, 34, of Fort Washington, Md., was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder. He had not appeared in court by Wednesday afternoon, Burton said.

The guards worked for Vance Federal Security Services, said Joe Gavaghan, a spokesman for the company, which contracts with Walter Reed. Vance is "cooperating with authorities investigating this incident," said Gavaghan, adding that the company could not provide additional details.

The surveillance video shows the two security guards arguing, and a third guard trying to break up the altercation, Burton said.

"There is a brief struggle between the security guard and the suspect, where the third guard is apparently trying to stop the suspect from taking his gun out of his holster," Burton said.

The video then shows the first guard pulling out the gun, a 9 mm Beretta, and chasing and firing at the victim, and the victim running and trying to get out of the way, Burton said.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)