Dead
Rick Smith
Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer
Thursday, august 11, 2022 7:01 p.m. ET
Armed man who attempted break-in at Cincinnati FBI field office shot and killed by police
Quinlan Bentley and Brook Endale
Cincinnati Enquirer
Update 6:00 p.m.: The armed suspect that attempted to breach the Cincinnati FBI building on Thursday was shot and killed by law enforcement officials following a standoff, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Officials have not yet identified the man.
Update 4:30 p.m.: The standoff between an armed man attempting to breach the Cincinnati FBI building and law enforcement has ended, according to the Clinton County EMA. Officials announced portions of State Route 73 are reopening. Smith Road near Van Tress Drive will remain closed at this time.
Previous reporting: An armed man wearing body armor who tried to break in to the FBI field office in Cincinnati remains in a standoff with law enforcement in Clinton County.
Lt. Nathan Dennis with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said troopers have the man contained and a perimeter has been established. He said there's currently no threat to the public.
Dennis said the man tried to gain entry to the heavily-guarded field office at 2012 Ronald Reagan Drive in Sycamore Township around 9:30 a.m.
In a tweet, the FBI said an armed subject attempted to breach the visitor screening facility at the bureau's field office. After an alarm and response by special agents, the suspect fled north onto Interstate 71, the tweet states.
Dennis said a trooper spotted the man's vehicle, a white Ford Crown Victoria, near a northbound rest area in Warren County.
The trooper attempted a traffic stop shortly before 9:40 a.m., but the man continued to flee north, Dennis said, adding that shots were fired during the pursuit.
The man then exited onto State Route 73 and traveled east, Dennis said. After that, he headed north on Smith Road and came to a stop, exchanging gunfire with officers on scene, Dennis added.
No officers were injured and there is still an active standoff, Dennis said. Officials said they cannot currently identify the suspect. The man has “unknown injuries,” but no one else was hurt, the patrol said.
Clinton County Emergency Management issued a lockdown for all buildings within a one-mile radius of Smith and Center roads. People in that area are being told to lock their doors and remain inside.
Thomas Breckle, director of Clinton County Emergency Management Agency, said the suspect is wearing a gray shirt and body armor, adding the chase entered Clinton County around 9:56 a.m.
Northbound and southbound I-71 was closed between US Route 68 and State Route 73, near Wilmington, Breckle said. Around 4:20 p.m., officials announced portions of State Route 73 were open. Smith Road near Van Tress Drive remained closed as of Thursday afternoon.
I-71 has since reopened in both directions, though all other routes remain closed, the Ohio Department of Transportation said in a tweet at 2:08 p.m.
Although a possible motive for the breach has not been released, the incident comes a day after a day after the FBI director Christopher Wray warned of threats circulating online against agents and the Justice Department after the agency’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
What does Cincinnati's FBI field office do?
The FBI’s field office in Cincinnati covers 48 counties throughout central and southern Ohio, including Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties, according to the bureau’s website.
The office oversees five satellite offices in Athens, Cambridge, Columbus, Dayton and Portsmouth.
First opened in 1913, the bureau’s headquarters in Cincinnati does counter-terrorism work and investigates white-collar crime, drug trafficking and child pornography, the website states.
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