Crime & Justice

Bomb-threat standoff near US Capitol ends peacefully

Washington, Aug 19 (EFE).- A man who pulled his pickup truck onto a sidewalk near the United States Capitol early Thursday claiming to have a bomb surrendered to police after hours of negotiation.

“He is in custody and that part is done,” US Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Tom Manger told a press conference. “He gave up and did not resist. Our folks were able to take him into custody without incident.”

“We still have to search the vehicle and render the vehicle safe,” he said near the scene, which remained cordoned off.

The suspect, identified as Floyd Ray Roseberry, of Glover, North Carolina, maneuvered the truck in front of the Library of Congress, just across the street from the Capitol, around 9:15 am and told a USCP officer that he had a bomb.

As USCP negotiators sought to convince Roseberry to surrender, the 49-year-old white man live-streamed the standoff on Facebook.

“The revolution’s on, it’s here,” he said with what appeared to be a large metal canister on his lap. “I’m trying to get (US President) Joe Biden on the phone.”

While the House of Representatives and the Senate are in recess, with lawmakers not due to resume sessions until next week, police evacuated two nearby buildings occupied by staff of the House, the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.

Family members informed authorities that Roseberry recently lost his mother and mentioned “other issues that he was dealing with,” Manger said.

“Right now, we have no indication that he was acting with anyone else,” the USCP chief said.

Relatives told the USCP that Roseberry was never a police officer or member of the Armed Forces, Manger said.

In April, one USCP officer was killed and another injured when a man crashed a vehicle into a security barricade.

And the force continues to deal with the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who invaded the building during the session to certify Biden’s victory in the November 2020 presidential election.

One USCP officer died after suffering two strokes while contending with the rioters and four other officers have taken their own lives in the months since the incident. EFE

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