Man surrenders after bomb threat near the Capitol
WASHINGTON — A North Carolina man who claimed to have a bomb in a pickup near the Capitol surrendered to law enforcement after an hourslong standoff Thursday that prompted a massive police response and the evacuations of government buildings in the area.
Authorities searched the truck in an effort to understand what led 49year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry to drive onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress, make bomb threats to officers and profess a litany of antigovernment grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he livestreamed for a Facebook audience.
Police said they didn’t find a bomb in the vehicle, but possible bomb-making materials were collected from it.
The standoff was resolved peacefully after roughly five hours of negotiations, ending when Roseberry crawled out of the truck and was taken into police custody. But even in a city with a long history of dramatic law enforcement encounters outside federal landmarks, this episode was notable for the way the suspect harnessed social media to draw attention in real time to his actions.
Authorities who spent hours negotiating with Roseberry — first using a dry erase board and then bringing him a telephone that he refused to use — were digging into his background Thursday afternoon. They didn’t reveal any details about a motive, and no charges were immediately announced.
Investigators had been speaking with members of Roseberry’s family and learned that his mother had recently died, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said.
“There were other issues he was dealing with,” the chief said.
Social media appeared to offer its own clues.
As police continued negotiations, video surfaced of Roseberry on Facebook Live inside the truck, which was stuffed with coins and boxes. He threatened explosions, expressed hostility toward President Joe Biden, profanely warned of a “revolution,” and laid bare a series of grievances related to U.S. positions on Afghanistan, health care and the military.
Roseberry’s ex-wife, Crystal Roseberry, confirmed that the man was her ex-husband. She said she never knew him to have explosives but that he was an avid collector of firearms.
Videos posted to Facebook before the page was taken down appear to show Roseberry at a Nov. 14 Washington rally in support of President Donald Trump after his election loss. One video appears to be filmed by Roseberry as he’s marching with a crowd of hundreds of people carrying U.S. and Trump flags while shouting, “Stop the steal!”