Bomb threat suspect surrenders after standoff at Library of Congress
Washington DC - A man is in custody after surrendering to police, ending a tense five-hour standoff Thursday in front of the Library of Congress.
Floyd Roy Roseberry of Grover, North Carolina, was taken into police custody "without incident," Capitol Police Chief J Thomas Manger told reporters at a news conference.
Manger said police are still searching Roseberry’s truck to see if he actually had explosives in the vehicle.
At an earlier news conference, Manger said a man drove a black truck drove onto a sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress and told an officer he had a bomb.
"The officer said [there] appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand," Manger told reporters shortly after noon. Officers were "in communication with the suspect" and working to "peacefully resolve" the situation, he said.
The threat sparked the evacuation of staffers across the Capitol complex and triggered reminders of the chaos of January 6, leaving onlookers shaken.
A video on Facebook appeared to show a man inside a truck streaming the standoff in real time and referencing "a revolution." Manger did not confirm the authenticity of that footage, but said "some information has been live-streamed."
Capitol Hill staffers sad the incident evoked the January riot
The situation began unfolding around 9:30 AM, when Capitol Police announced officers were investigating a suspicious vehicle near the library, located at the corner of First Street Southeast and Independence Avenue.
Law enforcement alerted staff in the Library of Congress’ Madison and Jefferson buildings to evacuate, along with House staff in the Cannon House Office Building.
The Hill would typically be filled with staff and lawmakers on a Thursday morning, but because both chambers are on an extended summer break, many were working off-campus.
Law enforcement officials dressed in tactical gear closed streets around the library and a sniper team was spotted on the East Lawn. Armored vehicles and the Capitol Police’s emergency response team vehicles were also on the scene.
"This year is certainly testing our resolve to continue working in an environment frequently under threats," said one Capitol Hill staffer working from home Thursday, asking not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. "But we can’t let the bad guys win. They want us to quit, and we cannot."
The stress keeps piling up, said one former Democratic House staffer.
"Being a Hill staffer in the post-January 6 era means constant bomb threats, evacuations, and safety drills hiding under your desk," tweeted Sawyer Hackett, who now works for People First Future PAC.
"Staffers and members deserve occupational therapy," he added.
Cover photo: IMAGO / MediaPunch