Shafaq News / A man surrendered to law enforcement Thursday, about five hours after he drove a black pickup truck onto a sidewalk next to the Library of Congress and told police he had a bomb.
The scare drew a massive law enforcement response and prompted the evacuations of nearby offices and homes in the heart of the nation’s capital still on edge after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Police spent hours negotiating with the man, who pulled up to the building at about 9:15 a.m., holding what an officer believed to be a detonator, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said. Investigators later Thursday were still combing the vehicle to determine whether there were actually any explosives. Police found “concerning” items in the bed of the pickup, including a propane tank that officers determined was safe, Chief Manger said.
The man got out of the pickup and surrendered shortly after officers used a robot to hand him a phone, which he didn’t use, the chief said.
Chief Manger identified the man as Floyd Ray Roseberry of Grover, N.C. He said police were still investigating his motives, noting that he had no serious criminal history out of North Carolina and that his mother had recently died.
Mr. Roseberry appeared to be live streaming on Facebook from his truck. Asked about the live stream, Facebook Inc. spokesman Andy Stone said that the company deactivated it.
“We are in contact with law enforcement and have removed the suspect’s videos and profile from Facebook and Instagram,” the company said in a later statement.
Clips of the video circulated online. The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist media, compiled footage showing Mr. Roseberry saying, “I’m here for a reason, Joe Biden. I’m here for the American people. And if you want to take me out, take me out. But when the patriots come, your ass is in trouble,” and implying he was working with others.
Investigators believe he acted alone, Chief Manger said.
Reached by phone, Mr. Roseberry’s ex-wife, Crystal Roseberry, said only that her former husband suffers from mental illness and had been unstable.
A White House official said “the White House is monitoring the situation and is receiving updates from law enforcement.”
Police sent snipers to the scene, along with bomb technicians from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington field office and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department also responded.
Staff working inside the Library of Congress, the Cannon House Office Building and the James Madison Building were told to evacuate. Local police also asked people who lived on nearby residential streets to leave the area.
The House and Senate aren’t in session this week, and few lawmakers are in Washington, but congressional staffers continue to work at the Capitol complex.
Washington remains tense after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. In April, a Capitol Police officer died after a man rammed his car into a security checkpoint outside the Capitol. Police said officers shot and killed the suspect when he exited his car and lunged at officers with a knife.
Source: The Wall Street Journal