A man in a vehicle claiming to have explosives is outside the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, is in custody after an hours-long standoff from just after 9 a.m. ET to after 2 p.m. ET.
The standoff prompted evacuations of nearby buildings and a lockdown of the U.S. Capitol complex. The man, later identified as Floyd Roy Roseberry of Grover, N.C., was livestreaming on Facebook to demand a phone call from President Joe Biden.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said Roseberry “got out of the vehicle and surrendered” and was taken into custody “without incident.” Manger said Roseberry was “moved away from the scene” and is facing criminal charges.
Manger added that Roseberry had suffered “some losses of family” including his mother’s recent death, and family members told police “there were other issues he was dealing with.”
A clip shared to Twitter showed Roseberry demanding a phone call from Biden.
“You thought the south wouldn’t come. Well, Joe Biden, the south has come. The roads are blocked and I’m waiting on your phone call. It’s your call.”
“You can shoot me and kill me right here and blow up two-and-a-half city blocks and let all the patriots out in the country know – ‘cause I ain’t here to blow nobody up. I ain’t here to hurt nobody. If I was, I wouldn’t have told them to tell people to leave. I would’ve gunned this mother f—ker and rode it right up in your front door,” he said. “I’m here for a reason, Joe Biden. I’m here for a reason. I’m here for the American people.”
The man said there are “five of us here” indicating other individuals and/or vehicles may be in the area. Police later said they were still investigating that possibility.
“Them snipers come in and they start shooting this windows out, this bomb is going off because it was built by y’alls people, by the people y’all had in the military, y’all were the ones that trained the man to build it,” he also said.
“If you blow my truck up, it’s on you, Joe. I’m ready to die for the cause,” the man says. “You said if you could do anything to save one life – one life – you said you’d do it. Well you got a chance. I want to go home Sunday. I want to see my wife.”
“If you wanna shoot me and take the chance of blowing up two-and-a-half city blocks — cause that toolbox is full [of] ammonium nitrate. I don’t wanna die, Joe. I wanna go home, just like the people in Afghanistan want to go home.”
A photo posted to Twitter by a local citizen showed Roseberry in his truck on the sidewalk holding an unidentified object in his hand.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters that Roseberry first told responding police that he had a bomb, and police said the Roseberry had what appeared to be a detonator in his hand.
Capitol Police had first tweeted about the incident at 9:43 a.m. ET.
In a later tweet, USCP called the incident “an active bomb threat investigation.”
Videos from the scene showed a heavy police presence behind cordoned off streets.
SWAT vehicles were also seen rushing to the scene.
FBI’s Washington Field office had also tweeted that the agency’s National Capital Response Squad was on scene to investigate “a suspicious vehicle and bomb threat.”
Members of Congress are not currently at the Capitol complex as the House and Senate are currently on summer recess. Personnel were in the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court buildings, however, and were evacuated.
