Update: Bomb-Threat Suspect Surrenders to Capitol Police After Standoff
Police, firefighters, and EMS all positioned themselves behind an outer safety perimeter Aug. 19, 2021. Screenshot from YouTube live feed.
Federal and local law enforcement are responding to a bomb threat near the US Capitol and evacuating multiple buildings.
A man drove his black pickup truck onto the sidewalk directly in front of the Library of Congress midday Thursday, Aug. 19, US Capitol Police said during a press conference.
A livestream reportedly shows the suspect saying, “The south’s here. There’s five of us spreading all across your little DC part here.” In a separate video shared to Twitter, a man can be heard saying that he has aluminum nitrate filling up the “toolbox” of his truck as he holds a large can in his lap and something in his hand with his index finger on it.
NEW: “The revolution is on. It’s here… I’m ready to die for the cause.”
Here’s video from the man who said he’s got a bomb outside the Capitol.
Follow @huffpost and @sara_bee for more as the situation develops. pic.twitter.com/aRx1hES7Vl
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 19, 2021
When the first officer arrived at the scene and confronted the suspect, he observed what looked like a detonator in the man’s hand, police said. The man allegedly told him he had a bomb, and the area was immediately evacuated. As law enforcement secured the surrounding area, children’s songs could be heard playing in the background from what sounds like an ice cream truck, adding an ominous atmosphere.
Officials from @CapitolPolice, with the assistance of MPD and @ATFWashington, provide an update regarding the active bomb threat situation near the Library of Congress. https://t.co/uHvCqESCJF
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) August 19, 2021
Officials said during the press conference that negotiations are currently ongoing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, US Capitol Police, and DC Metropolitan Police are all responding to the threat. Few details have been released, and this story will be updated as the situation develops.
The House and Senate are currently in recess, so most lawmakers are not currently in their Capitol offices.
UPDATE: 3:19 p.m., Aug. 19
A man claiming to have a bomb near the US Capitol surrendered to law enforcement Thursday afternoon after an hourslong standoff, according to US Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.
In a press conference, Manger identified the suspect as Floyd Roy Roseberry of Grover, North Carolina. Manger said Roseberry refused to answer his phone during the standoff, so police communicated by holding up whiteboards with different messages written on them. Law enforcement had delivered a remote phone to Roseberry via a robot, but he exited his pickup and surrendered shortly after the phone arrived outside of his vehicle, according to officials.
When asked whether Roseberry was working with anyone else, Manger told reporters, “Right now we have no indication that he was acting with anybody, anyone else.”
Authorities have not been able to verify whether Roseberry had actual explosives in his truck or if the incident was a bluff, Manger said, adding that it’s early in the investigation and police are working on getting more information out to the public.
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Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children.
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