A trucker hauling a large unarmed missile through the District was briefly detained Thursday by police right outside The Washington Times’ office in Northeast.
Metropolitan Police said the driver was cleared after the missile turned out to not be hazardous during the midday traffic stop that shut down a large stretch of New York Avenue Northeast.
A representative for North Carolina-based trucking company Charles Jr. & Sons Transport said the missile didn’t have any explosive materials inside it.
MPD’s explosive teams investigated the weapon and confirmed it was unarmed. Authorities escorted the driver back on the road after determining everything was safe.
Before the missile had been inspected, an officer told The Times the driver was pulled over because the missile appeared to only be secured by two straps.
The trucking company said the missile casing was also chained and placed in binders while it sat on a flatbed trailer hitched to a pickup truck.
Police reopened the mile-long stretch of New York Avenue NE between The Times’ office and Bladensburg Road Northeast about an hour later.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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