Footage shared on social media shows a powerful explosion that reduced the building to rubble.
The suspect, who was home at the time of the explosion, fired a flare gun 30 to 40 times into a neighboring home, police in Arlington, Virginia, said in a statement early Tuesday.
After receiving a report of shots fired, law enforcement was dispatched to attempt to contact the suspect by phone and loudspeakers, the statement said. However, the suspect remained unresponsive and barricaded himself inside the home, it added.
“As officers attempted to execute a search warrant, the suspect fired several shots from what was believed to be a firearm inside the home. Later, around 8 p.m. 25 minutes (Tuesday at 3:25 a.m. Lithuanian time), an explosion occurred in a residential building,” the police said.
The statement said the investigation into the cause of the explosion was ongoing, but did not specify the fate of the suspect. It went on to say that three police officers sustained minor injuries and that the fire was brought under control within two hours.
“I think he blew up the whole bunk [namą]”, a neighbor told local media ARLnow. “I’m sure the family that lives next door was evacuated before the explosion, but they lost their home.”
Residents of Arlington, across the Potomac River from Washington, were told to take shelter by local authorities.
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2024-08-20 13:25:34
