Armed Man Allegedly Storms Ohio FBI Office, Pursuit & Shootout Ensue

Armed Man Allegedly Storms Ohio FBI Office, Pursuit & Shootout Ensue [VIDEO]Show more

Red Voice Media Published August 11, 2022

News and Commentary
The suspect then allegedly produced an AR-15-style rifle and fled the building, leading law enforcement on a pursuit northbound on I-71.

By Gregory Hoyt
August 11, 2022
Image Credit: Zach Heilman

CINCINNATI, OH – According to a statement released by FBI Cincinnati, an “armed subject” allegedly tried to breach their visitor screening area, resulting in a response from armed agents and a subsequent vehicular pursuit where local law enforcement assisted. Local reports noted that gunfire ensued along Interstate 71 following the incident, but few details have been shared on the matter.

The statement from FBI Cincinnati regarding the incident reads, “On August 11, 2022, at approximately 9:15 EST, the FBI Cincinnati Field Office had an armed subject attempt to breach the Visitor Screening Facility (VSF). Upon the activation of an alarm and a response by armed FBI special agents, the subject fled northbound onto Interstate 71. The FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement partners are on scene near Wilmington, Ohio, trying to resolve this critical incident.”

WLWT reported that the unnamed suspect had entered the FBI building and “fired a nail gun at law enforcement personnel,” which resulted in the armed FBI agents responding. The suspect then allegedly produced an AR-15-style rifle and fled the building, leading law enforcement on a pursuit northbound on I-71.

Clinton County Emergency Management Agency officials confirmed that law enforcement personnel had exchanged gunfire with the male suspect, with the individual being described as wearing body armor and a gray shirt. Officials further noted the man “has not yet been taken into custody but is contained.”

Reportedly the I-71 is closed off in both directions between State Routes 73 and 68, as well as SR-73 in both directions between Mitchell Road and SR-380. According to local officials, a lockdown is also in effect for all buildings within a one-mile radius of Smith Road and Center Road.

As of this writing, there are no reports of law enforcement having been injured, with Clinton County Emergency Management Agency Director Thomas Breckel stating the subject “is currently in plain view of police. They can still observe him. He is by his vehicle.”

There is currently no information on a possible motive for the attack.

The incident in Cincinnati comes at a time where there has been growing distrust of the FBI, with the August 8th raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence not exactly helping in curtailing the aforementioned sentiments.

In an August 10th op-ed for the New York Post, Betsy McCaughey mentioned that the Mar-a-Lago raid rightfully “has Americans worried whether this untethered federal agency is suddenly a threat to democracy,” adding that historically, “the FBI has played politics from its inception in the 1930s. It has a long, tarnished history of resorting to deception, violence, and lawless methods in pursuit of its partisan goals.”

While the developing incident in Cincinnati could be completely unaffiliated with the aforementioned growing distrust with the FBI, it is hard to ignore the timing of the matter.