Violent America:Second Washington Incident Reinforces Image

The second high profile violent incident in less than a month in Washington,DC reinforces America's image of being a deeply troubled and violent country divided against itself,rocked by both external and internal forces.The rough seas continued in the DC Metropolitan area on Thursday afternoon as Miriam Carey,34,of Stamford,Connecticut went on a high speed,crazy ride with her baby daughter down Pennsylvania Avenue,careening into other vehicles,running red lights and injuring a Secret Service and US Capitol Police officer in the process,and ultimately resulting in her own death when she was fired on by police.Both injured officers are recovering well,and her year-old daughter,Erica,is in good condition in protective custody.*
The suspect's mother said she had been hospitalised with post partum depression,an affliction that bedevils some women after childbirth,a few months after Erica's birth in August 2012.Miriam Carey was a dental hygenist who was described by her employer,Dr.Steven Oken,as being a non-political type who was always happy.I am floored it would be her,Dr.Oken said.A neighbour at her condo complex affirmed that Carey was mentally ill,however,and said that Carey's tyres had recently been slashed in Connecticut.Police obtained a search warrant and combed Carey's condo for evidence Thursday,where she reportedly lived with the child's father.*
The incident began at the outer security perimeter of the White House at 2:12 pm,where Carey struck a temporary black security fence at a checkpoint and refused to obey uniformed Secret Service officers,later striking a Secret Service vehicle and injuring an officer as she fled down Pennsylvania Avenue.No shots were fired at the White House itself,said DC Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier.There were several crime scenes and shots fired along the route,Lanier added,although Carey was not herself armed.A lot of things happened that were not on videos the media were showing,Lanier said.The incident showed that the security perimeters worked and did exactly what they were supposed to do.*
At one point during the high speed chase,police had managed to stop Carey's car,but she backed up and sped off again,oblivious to a hail of gunfire.
The incident came to its fatal conclusion as Carey crashed into a second checkpoint in the 100 block of Maryland Avenue near the Capitol,where she was shot dead by police,who discovered the child then and removed her from the car for medical evaluation.
Soon after the crime,correspondent Chuck Todd of NBC News remarked that he began getting the same old highly partisan emails from politicians again,although they were more politely worded this time.