WASHINGTON - The normal bustle of commuters inside the nation's capital was nowhere to be seen yesterday. Instead, streets were empty, police patrolled intersections and people were somber after a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon on Tuesday, killing hundreds of people.
"There are a lot less people around, but a lot more security people," said David McAllister, a tourist from Iowa in town for a medical conference. "It's pretty quiet."
Although police said there was no suspicious activity yesterday morning, officers will continue to patrol the Washington area on a day-to-day basis until further notice, said Sgt. Benjamin Bryant, a member of the 377 squadron of military police.
"We're just keeping our eyes open, that's all," Bryant said. "People are happy that we're here, but sad that it had to come to this."
Congressmen filled the Capitol, which police barricaded within a two-block perimeter. Representatives met yesterday to condemn Tuesday's acts of terrorism: the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in New York, the damage to the Pentagon and a hijacked plane that crashed outside Pittsburgh.
Only legislative business was conducted in the Capitol yesterday, and access to the building was restricted to House members and their staffs. Besides the police barricade outside, no extra security precautions were taken yesterday.
"You can't really guard against a plane coming," a Capitol police officer said. "People are being more aware of what's going on, but the thing is that anytime something happens, people are scared ... people are tense right now."
People began to evacuate the building Tuesday morning after an apparent fire alarm and reports that a plane was flying in the restricted airspace over the Capitol, the officer said.
After seeing the plane approach the Capitol, security personnel and pedestrians began to flee. The unmarked plane, thought at first to be a government aircraft, changed course and flew in the opposite direction and ultimately toward the Pentagon.
"Everyone just started running," he said.
A witness standing on the Capitol steps when the plane struck the Pentagon said she heard a large boom, which she thought was just a nearby construction site.
"People began evacuating the Capitol, and people started running out of there," tourist Brenda McAllister said. "It was like out of a movie."
Within the District, many remained in their homes Tuesday, as police closed many city streets, some of which remained closed throughout yesterday.
"You couldn't get in [the city] -- it's like you were trapped," she said.
Throughout yesterday, police closed exits to freeways and completely shut down the use of I-395 while rescue workers continued efforts to find survivors trapped in the Pentagon rubble.
Bystanders watched from afar yesterday as two Red Cross helicopters, ambulances and rescue tents flooded the area near the impact site. Firefighters worked more than 12 hours to extinguish the smoldering flames, which saturated an area about 200 feet across on the building's south side. Parts of the facility's roof collapsed and building walls were stained with smoke damage.
Some offices in the Pentagon remained open, but officials considered evacuating workers throughout the day.
One area resident, who witnessed the Boeing 757 American Airline flight approaching its target, stood with onlookers at the partially demolished structure.
"I was on the street driving, and then the plane went over the top of my car, just over the treetops," Joseph Royster said. "It was a big aircraft just on its course."
Another witness said people evacuated the building in an organized fashion.
"The people were orderly walking out of the Pentagon in a subdued shock," Ron Crittendon said.
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