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Issued on: 12/08/2022 – 00:57
An armed man who tried to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati office was shot and killed by police after fleeing the scene, leading to an hour-long standoff Thursday afternoon, the Ohio Highway State Patrol said.
The man, who has not been identified, was shot after pointing a gun at police around 3 p.m., said Lieutenant Nathan Dennis, a patrol spokesman.
Officials said the man was wearing body armor and was chased down a highway, after which he left his car on nearby country roads bordered by woods and farmland just off I-71, about 45 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
The confrontation came as officials warned of an increase in threats against federal agents in the days following a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate of Mar-a-Lago.
Federal officials said the man “tried” to breach the FBI office’s visitor screen and fled when officers confronted him. After fleeing on Interstate 71, he was spotted by a trooper and fired shots as the trooper chased him, Lt. Nathan Dennis, a spokesman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The suspect exited the highway north of Cincinnati and left his car on country roads, where he exchanged gunfire with police. The man has “unknown injuries”, but no one else was injured, the patrol said.
State road workers blocked roads leading to the accident site when a helicopter flew over the area. Officials closed a one-mile radius near the highway and urged residents and business owners to lock doors and stay indoors. The highway has been reopened.
There have been increasing threats against FBI agents and offices across the country in recent days since federal agents issued a search warrant in Mar-a-Lago. On Gab, a social media site popular with white supremacists and anti-Semites, users have warned that they are preparing for an armed revolution.
Federal officials have also followed a series of other rumors on Gab and other platforms threatening violence against federal agents. FBI Director Christopher Wray denounced the threats when he visited another FBI office in Nebraska on Wednesday.
“Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you are mad at,” Wray said in Omaha on Wednesday.
The FBI also warned its agents on Wednesday to avoid protesters and make sure their security key cards “are not visible outside of FBI space,” citing an increase in social media threats to desk staff and facilities. It also warned officers to be aware of their surroundings and potential protesters.
The alert did not specifically mention this week’s search for Mar-a-Lago, but attributed the online threats to “recent media outlets reporting on FBI investigative activity.”
(AP)