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The suspect who fired at officers from a duplex in an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood before the home exploded on Monday night is presumed dead, according to authorities. "At this point, officers experienced what is believed to be multiple gunshots from a firearm coming from within the dwelling," Penn said. "Human remains have been located at the scene, and the office of the chief medical examiner will work to positively identify the individual and determine the cause and manner of death," Penn told reporters during an afternoon news conference on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Large house explosion in Bluemont amid police incident
Another Arlington resident, Bob Maynes, reported feeling the tremble of the explosion. Yoo believed that a New York Times reporter he saw on television was someone who had claimed to be an FBI agent and came to his house in 2017. He claimed that the reporter threatened a harassment charge if Yoo made further attempts to communicate with a US attorney in western New York. Yoo’s 2018 lawsuit against his then-wife, younger sister and a hospital, filed after he said he was committed against his will, alleged conspiracy and a deprivation of his rights, amongst other crimes. He also posted videos online of lawsuits that he filed, accusing people of stalking, threatening and harassing him. Yoo’s social media posts air grievances about various people in his life.
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Neighbors, witnesses react to deadly house explosion - WUSA9.com
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Posted: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
More than 160 power outages were initially reported in the area, but that number had decreased to 19 as of Tuesday morning. Monitoring the emergency response to a major explosion in the Bluemont neighborhood of Arlington tonight. This is very, very scary, and my profound thanks go out to first responders working to secure the area and keep everyone safe. Police respond to the scene of the explosion in Arlington on Monday night.
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The officers escaped serious injury but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside when the building was leveled, an Arlington county police spokesperson, Ashley Savage, said. Police officials at the site suffered minor injuries while gas service to the home was turned off. They also said there is no ongoing threat to the public and no other suspects. One dead body was found in the house, suspected to be Yoo’s, and around 10 to 12 surrounding homes were also affected by the blast. “The fire department personnel absolutely saved lives” by evacuating residents of the neighborhood, Jenkins said.
Days after explosion at Arlington home, neighbors allowed to return to their houses - FOX 5 DC
Days after explosion at Arlington home, neighbors allowed to return to their houses.
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Arlington Fire Department investigates small series of explosions
Chief Andy Penn of the Arlington County Police Department declined to say at a news conference on Tuesday that the authorities were “fully confident” that the remains that were found were those of Mr. Yoo. Bob Maynes thought a tree had fallen on his house as the blast shook his property. No serious injuries were suffered by police; the fate of the suspect who was inside the home when it exploded was not immediately clear, authorities said. "Based on the preliminary investigation of the incident, we believe the resident of the home, James Yoo, 56, of Arlington, is the involved suspect," Penn said.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will work to positively identify the individual and determine cause and manner of death. Our investigation has now transferred into a recovery operation as we work to collect and process evidence. There is no ongoing threat to the community related to this incident and no outstanding suspects. Three officers reported minor injuries in the house explosion, but no one was taken to the hospital. Savage said police did not have any evidence that others were in the duplex but could not rule out the possibility. When a tactical unit of police officers breached the front door, attempting to execute the search warrant, a person inside opened fire with a gun, Penn said.
Resident Presumed Dead in Arlington, Va., House Explosion
As officers tried to enter the home, multiple gunshots were fired from within the house, Penn said. Penn said police responded to the house at about 4.45pm on Monday after reports of shots fired. Over the years, he also made many attempts to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through phone calls, letters and online tips, according to lawsuits and David Sundberg, the assistant director of the FBI’s Washington field office. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion that was felt miles from the site, while Yoo’s troubling relationships with people in his life have come to the fore through details of his own social media posts and lawsuits. Arlington is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The explosion occurred in Bluemont, a neighborhood in north Arlington where many of the homes are duplexes.
Arlington man whose house exploded had history of rambling lawsuits
Soon after police arrived to investigate, an explosion occurred and the house burst into flames. “Our thoughts are with the police officers that were injured in that explosion,” Olivia Dalton, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday. Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins said authorities turned off gas service to the home and evacuated nearby residents — including people who lived in the other part of the duplex — about 90 minutes before the explosion. David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, told reporters that Yoo had communicated with the FBI via phone calls, online tips and letters over a number of years. Video posted to social media showed the house disappearing under a ball of fire, lobbing debris into the night air and sending wreckage raining down onto the suburb of Washington, D.C. Neighbors said the blast could be heard and felt for miles.
Carla Rodriquez of South Arlington heard its sound despite living more than 3.2km (2 miles) away, AP reported. Yoo denied having any thoughts of suicide or prior depression, while referencing a suicide note that he claimed he never wrote but hospital records said he left for his wife. Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington said she could hear the explosion more than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away and came to the scene, but police kept onlookers blocks away. He cited hospital records that reference a suicide note that he left for his wife, which he said he never wrote. In 2018, Yoo filed a 163-page federal lawsuit in New York against his then-wife, younger sister and a hospital after he said he was committed against his will. Yoo alleged conspiracy and deprivation of his rights, among other crimes.
"I would characterize these communications as primarily complaints about alleged frauds he believed were perpetrated against him," Sundberg told reporters. "The information contained therein and the nature of those communications did not lead to opening any FBI investigations." One video posted to social media appears to show a vehicle with a flashing blue light approaching the home when a loud blast suddenly blows off the roof of the house. Within seconds, the building appears to crumple to the ground and burst into flames, sending debris flying through the air and setting off a nearby car alarm. A massive explosion engulfed a home and rocked a neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia, as police were investigating a man who fired a flare gun dozens of times from inside Monday night, police said. James Yoo is presumed dead after the Arlington residence went up in a fireball as police officers tried to serve a search warrant, authorities said Tuesday.
Fire officials do not know the cause of the explosion, said Nate Hiner, a spokesperson for the Arlington fire department. Carla Rodriguez of south Arlington said she could hear the explosion more than two miles away and came to the scene but police kept onlookers blocks away. After attempts to communicate with Yoo were unsuccessful, police obtained a search warrant.
Penn noted that officials are aware of "concerning" social media posts allegedly made by Yoo, adding that they will be reviewed as part of the investigation. After they obtained a search warrant for the house in the 800 block of North Burlington Street, officers "attempted to make contact with the suspect over the telephone and through loudspeakers," police said in a statement. He “previously communicated with the FBI via phone calls, online tips and letters over a number of years,” said Dave Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office. “We are aware of concerning social media posts allegedly made by the suspect, and these will be reviewed as part of the ongoing criminal investigation,” Penn said. Wiringi said debris landed on nearby roofs and that electrical power went out along the block. Emergency management officials said 10 to 12 surrounding homes were damaged by the blast.
Monday, when police received a call about possible shots fired on Yoo’s block. It was “a flare-type gun,” Penn said, and more than 30 projectiles had been fired. As Yoo barricaded himself inside the home, authorities obtained a search warrant to enter the property and look for weapons, Penn said. Police said in a statement that a preliminary investigation indicated the suspect "discharged a flare gun approximately times from inside his residence into the surrounding neighborhood."
One resident said she and her roommate had just arrived home nearby when they heard “gunshot-sounding things.” Moments later, “it felt like we got attacked. Kim said he heard the police talking to the suspect with a megaphone. They told him to come out peacefully, and they weren’t going to leave. Sam Kim, whose backyard is nearby, captured a video of a SWAT team trying to coax the suspect out of the house. The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, is still unaccounted for.
