An explosion occurred in a residential area in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington DC, the capital of the United States, on the afternoon of the 4th (local time), killing a suspect in his 50s, believed to be of Korean descent, during a standoff with police.
According to foreign media such as the Washington Post (WP), Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn announced at a press conference on the 5th that the suspect, James Yu (56), is presumed dead in the explosion of a two-story Arlington house that occurred the night before.
Investigators found human remains at the scene of the explosion and are currently trying to identify them, but it is likely they are Yu, Chief Penn said. It is reported that Mr. Yoo is the owner of the house where the explosion occurred.
According to Chief Penn, the police were dispatched to Mr. Yoo’s house at around 4:45 pm the previous day after receiving a report from a neighbor that flares had been fired more than 30 times from the house where Mr. Yoo lived.
It is said that Mr. Yoo was staying in the house when the police were dispatched.
The police obtained a warrant to search for weapons and attempted to enter Yu’s house, but they failed to enter because Yu fired a gun.
The police used a ‘non-flammable’ chemical irritant to lure Mr. Yu out, but failed again. Accordingly, the police stood back and faced off in front of Yu’s house.
Shortly thereafter, an explosion occurred inside the house with a loud noise, and the entire house shattered and collapsed. The explosion covered the nearby area with flames, smoke, and debris.
Firefighters reportedly cut off the natural gas supply to Yu’s home just before 8:30 p.m., when the explosion occurred.
Three officers suffered minor injuries in the explosion, but “no one was seriously injured,” Chief Penn said.
Chief Penn explained that the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
The explosion shattered the windows of neighboring houses and the explosion was said to have been heard miles away. WP reported that nearby residents were afraid for about an hour.
Congressman Don Beyer (Democrat, Virginia) wrote on his
White House Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton met with reporters that day and said, “I am grateful to the authorities who responded to the situation very quickly. We are tracking what happened last night.” “For anything else, please contact the Arlington Police Department.”
In relation to this, some media outlets reported that he filed lawsuits excessively based on Yoo’s social media.
In one YouTube video, Mr. Yoo revealed some of the lawsuits he lost, and in another post, he called his ex-wife a ‘witch’. She also added the anti-American slogan ‘F— AMERICA’ to the hashtag.
He described himself as a ‘retired head of intelligence and security for an international telecommunications company’ and wrote that ‘despite giving them every opportunity to do the right thing, all they see is hypocrisy, corruption, fraud and conspiracy in the United States.’
Last February, Mr. Yoo filed a lawsuit against about 10 people, including his ex-wife and New York state authorities, citing fraud and conspiracy. Two months later, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, calling it “frivolous and confusing.”
Regarding Mr. Yoo’s nationality, the Consulate General in Washington DC is currently in contact with police authorities, but it is said that it has not yet been officially confirmed.
(Washington = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.