Police attempted to execute a search warrant Monday at a duplex in a Washington, D.C., suburb wherein a man was said to be barricaded and firing off a flare gun into the surrounding neighborhood. However, before officers could make entry, an explosion blew the structure sky-high.
According the Arlington County Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 800 block of N. Burlington Street in Bluemont around 4:45 p.m. on Monday in response to a report of possible shots fired.
On the scene, officers learned that the suspect had allegedly fired a flare gun into the surrounding neighborhood an estimated 30-40 times. Fortunately, no one was injured and no property was damaged as a result of the discharge of the flare gun.
Police soon obtained a search warrant for the suspect's home. Before approaching, officers attempted to communicate with the suspect by phone and over loudspeakers. However, police indicated the suspect failed to respond and "remained barricaded inside the residence."
After failing to get through to the suspect, police prepared to execute the search warrant and make entry. However, when they initially attempted to do so, the suspect allegedly opened fire, this time with what was suspected to be a gun.
Alex Wilson, a neighbor who filmed the incident from his rooftop, told WTTG-TV the barricaded resident shot at police with what appeared to be a high-caliber weapon.
"Three hours later, at least, we saw the SWAT truck arrive, and when the SWAT trucks arrive, you know, you're like, 'Oh, things are getting escalated at that point,'" said Wilson.
Police reportedly continued to urge the suspect inside to come outside, but their implorations proved fruitless.
"The guy inside wasn't responding, and they drove a SWAT truck through the front door and then shots were being fired," said Watson.
The initial attempts to breach the front were ineffective, so the tactical team reoriented the vehicle and attempted to burst through the window.
"As the SWAT team were driving forward to the window, that's when the whole place went up," added Wilson.
At 8:25 p.m., the house exploded, injuring three officers. None of the officers required treatment at a hospital.
Footage of the incident shows fire belch from the side of the two-story brick duplex, a cloud of debris punch out the front of the structure, then the roof and much of the interior thrown hundreds of feet into the air. Car alarms ring out while flaming debris rains down into a plume of smoke.
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Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington indicated she could hear the blast over two miles away, reported the Associated Press.
"I actually thought a plane exploded," said Rodriguez.
Blake Thompson, another nearby resident, told WTTG, "I thought it was a sonic boom at first, but I looked out of my window and I saw burning stuff in the sky, in a sense. It looked like ash, but of course, it was much farther away so it was probably debris."
The house next door was reportedly all but demolished in the explosion. Power was also knocked out to multiple homes in the neighborhood.
The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene to put out the inferno and were able to tame it around 10:30 p.m.
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Capt. Nate Hiner, a spokesman for the ACFD, noted that it is not yet clear what caused the explosion. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other federal agents have joined the investigation.
While the suspect has not yet been identified by police, WTTG and local news website ARLnow.com both indicated that public records suggest a man named James W. Yoo is linked to the residence. Yoo's LinkedIn page, which was deleted overnight, indicates he was previously a landlord who also worked in telecommunications and security.
It's not clear whether Woo was in the house at the time of the explosion or involved in the incident.
Yoo's YouTube channel details various legal complaints he has apparently filed in recent years. Documents shared in a number of the videos indicated his address was 844 N. Burlington Street.
In a Nov. 3 video, Woo shared images of his correspondence with various attorneys and federal officials regarding his complaint alleging Rochester General Hospital illegally held him for five days against his will. The letter indicates those who allegedly detained him did so citing a state law enabling a temporary hold of a mentally compromised individual who is at risk of doing harm to himself or others.
Apparently convinced LinkedIn was suppressing his content — including Woo's suggestion that his supposed poor treatment by the police and government was "how White people operate" — Woo shared videos of various now-deleted posts, including criticism of former President Donald Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The "About" section on his YouTube page states, "I gave THEM / Y'ALL every opportunity to 'do the right thing' and all I see is America's hypocrisy, corruption, fraud, conspiracy, CHICKENSHAT. ... #NoneOfTheAbovePARTY #MontyBrewsterish 'U.S. is the world's biggest TERRORIST' (N.Chomsky, ~2015)."
"This guy has been cooped up for years," Wilson said. "He's closed off his windows, no one has really seen him for years."
Ashley Savage, spokeswoman for the ACPD, told the New York Times, "We have not been able to access the home at this point, so I don't have the status of the suspect."
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) wrote on X, "This is very, very scary, and my profound thanks go out to first responders working to secure the area and keep everyone safe."
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At least five people are dead after a house suddenly exploded in a neighborhood outside Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, a house in Plum, a town about 15 miles outside Pittsburgh, exploded, destroying three homes and damaging more than a dozen others in the neighborhood. Five people were killed in the tragic incident — four adults and one child — while another person was critically wounded.
A Ring doorbell camera attached to a nearby house captured the shocking explosion:
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Crews from 18 different fire departments were dispatched to help battle the ensuing fire and search for victims in the rubble. According to WTAE-TV, 57 firefighters were treated for injuries at the scene.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear, and officials warned the investigation could take months or years. The natural gas utility company that services the area investigated for potential leaks, but the company found its systems had been "operating as designed" when the explosion occurred, WTAE reported.
Plum, unfortunately, is no stranger to home explosions.
Last April, a house exploded in a neighborhood about 4 miles away from the site of Saturday's explosion. Fortunately, no one died in that incident. The cause of that explosion remains under investigation.
There was another deadly explosion in 2008, the cause of which was later discovered. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that a 2-inch natural gas distribution pipeline had been hit by a backhoe when a sewer line was replaced five years prior in 2003, stripping the pipeline of its protective coating and making it susceptible to corrosion and failure.
Holiday Park fire Chief James Sims said he has responded to six house explosions in Plum in his decades as a firefighter.
"This isn't the first time that this has happened in Plum," resident Justin Newman told WTAE. "We need answers. We need to know why this is happening. It's sad that people lost their lives and we don’t have answers. We need answers for these families we need answers for this community."
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One person has been found alive in the rubble of an explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania that left at least two dead and five missing, WTFX reported.
"The discovery of life overnight, of the overnight recovery efforts, provides hope that others still may be found," West Reading's police chief, Wayne Holben said in a Saturday morning press conference.
"The rescue workers are continuing their efforts to search the area thoroughly, utilizing specialized equipment and techniques to locate signs of life," Chief Holben also said, adding that canines and imaging equipment are being used in the search and recovery effort.
West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag declared a state of emergency about 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning. She noted that the declaration was strictly to "access more resources for emergency responders on scene."
Holben noted the the investigation into the Berks County blast is ongoing, and that tents had been erected in the area to help keep the scene dry as weather forecasts indicated thick cloud cover and rain.
Among the victims taken to Reading Hospital, two people are in fair condition, one was transferred to another facility, and five others were discharged, according to a statement from a Tower Health Spokesperson acquired by WTFX.
Though the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency reported that five people were killed in the explosion, local officials including Kaag and Holben say that figure is inaccurate. According to Kaag and Holben, the correct death toll figure currently stands at two and the number of missing stands at five.
"We are getting a lot of help from outside agencies, which we appreciate," said Holben. Among the agencies Holben mentioned were the Pennsylvania State Police, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the sheriff's office, and other local organizations.
In addition to the factory being "pretty leveled," as Kaag described it, there was also damage to a nearby apartment building and a church, WPSG reported.
"The building in the front, with the church and the apartments, the explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward," Kaag also said.
WTFX's weather camera positioned at the Candlewood Suites hotel across the street caught the blast on video as it occurred. Chunks of debris can be seen flying in multiple directions as clouds of smoke quickly obscure most of the viewable field.
R.M. Palmer Company, headquartered in West Reading, employs more than 850 people, according to their LinkedIn page and website.
During the Saturday morning press conference with local officials, Chief Holben indicated that R.M. Palmer Co. would be making their own official statement "shortly." As of Saturday around 12:30 p.m., the company had not yet posted a statement on their website nor their other social media channels.
R.M. Palmer did not respond to a request for comment from TheBlaze in time for publication.
Watch WTFX's coverage, including aerial footage of the deadly blast below.
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