US authorities capture fox near Capitol after reports of attacks

WASHINGTON

US animal control officers nabbed a fox Tuesday that allegedly bit multiple people on Capitol grounds, Capitol Police said.

In a tweet, the department said it "received several reports of aggressive fox encounters on or near the grounds" of the Capitol and warned citizens not to approach any foxes.

In a subsequent tweet carrying photos of the red fox in a cage, the police announced the capture of the animal.

The fox reportedly bit a member of Congress and a woman near the Capitol.

Speaking to NBC News on Monday, Democratic Representative Ami Bera of California said he was attacked on his leg.

"[I] felt something lunge at the back of my leg. Thought it was going to be a small dog or something. Kind of jumped, and then it's like, that's not a dog. It's a fox," Bera said.

The Congressman later said on Twitter he was healthy and back at work.

Among the victims was a reporter for Politico, Ximena Bustillo, who was bitten on her ankle.

"That feel when you get bit by a fox leaving Capitol cause that’s of course something I expect in THE MIDDLE OF DC," she wrote in a tweet.