A man arrested on a homicide charge escaped from a Washington, D.C., hospital Wednesday, police said.
Christopher Patrick Haynes, 30, escaped from George Washington Hospital at 3:38 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.
How he escaped was not clear from the statement. He is not handcuffed, police said.
“Do not engage, call 911 if spotted,” the department said.
Temporary and precautionary closures were put in place around the White House, which is less than a mile from the hospital, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said. The Secret Service Uniformed Division was also assisting in the investigation.
George Washington University said it was monitoring the situation near its campus in Foggy Bottom. It was asking people to shelter in place. All evening in-person classes, events and other activities have been canceled, the university said on social media.
Haynes was described by police as Black with shoulder-length dreadlocks. The police department had said he was wearing a white suit with one red shoe, but later said he might be wearing a black T-shirt and gray shorts.
“Haynes was last seen with black handcuffs hanging from his right wrist,” police said.
He had been arrested earlier Wednesday on a homicide offense, police said.
More details were not immediately available from police about the circumstances of Haynes’ arrest or escape, or why he was at the hospital.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com