Transportation officials scramble after museum shooting

It’s normally snow and ice or an usually hot day that lends OmniRide commuters a free ride home. But on Wednesday the transit agency gave its passengers free rides in light of a tragic event.

Police said 88-year-old James W. Von Brunn walked into the National Holocaust Museum Wednesday afternoon and fatally shot a security guard.

After shooting the guard, Von Brunn was shot by other security personnel. He too was taken to the hospital, where is remained in serious condition Wednesday afternoon.

The ensuing investigation into the shooting closed the northbound lanes of the 14th Street Bridge, prompting Virginia transportation officials to try to keep drivers away from downtown Washington.

“They’ve asked us to help divert traffic away from the city,” said Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer McCord.

VDOT used overhead message signs on Interstate 95 to tell drivers to use the Beltway, instead of I-395.

In addition to the bridge closure, Washington transportation officials also closed portions of 12th, 14th and 15th streets. That caused delays of more than two miles in the area.

Word of the closures and delays sent officials at the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission in Woodbridge scrambling.

The commission operates the OmniRide commuter bus service in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park.

“Many of our buses serve stops at or near 14th Street and Independence Avenue, and our buses just can’t get there right now,” said PRTC spokeswoman Christine Rodrigo.

The solution: Activate OmniRide’s emergency service plan.

As part of the plan, OmniRide customers were told to pay to board Metro trains that would take them to the Franconia-Springfield and West Falls Church Metro stations.

There, OmniRide buses would be waiting to take them home — for free.

This eliminated the need to send any OmniRide bus into Washington on Wednesday afternoon.

The agency made that decision about 3 p.m., about the same time the 14th Street Bridge was reopened by Virginia State Police.

But Rodrigo had already sent out an e-mail notification, via their Rider Express service, to customers about the service change.

She also told them in that e-mail to expect long delays.

But some commuters who got off at the Horner Road commuter lot in Woodbridge said they enjoyed the free ride home.

“I usually take the bus from 14th Street, but I didn’t even try to get on there today because the street was shut down. So I just got on the Metro at Federal Triangle and took it all the way to Springfield, and when I got there they said the buses were free. That made me happy,” said Brigette Moritz of Lake Ridge.

Another rider went to her regularly scheduled stop in Rosslyn only to find that her bus wasn’t coming.

“We were standing there waiting and then someone called and said “You have to go to Springfield to catch the bus,” said Angela McGinnis of Woodbridge.

McGinnis said she subscribes to OmniRide’s regular e-mail informational alerts, called Rider Express, but did not receive one about Wednesday’s service change.

Bus service is expected to be returned to normal today.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.