ARLINGTON, Va. — Police said Friday that the man who died in a house explosion outside of the nation’s capital six months ago set off gasoline tanks on purpose in his basement, which caused the blast.
At a news conference Friday, police in Arlington County, Virginia, said that 56-year-old James Yoo was firing a flare gun from the back of his duplex into a nearby school and park on December 4. This is why the police went to his house.
The police tried to get in touch with Yoo but were unable to do so. For the search, they got an order and used an armored car to break down his door. The police then heard gunshots, and a short time later the whole house blew up.
Police Chief Andy Penn said Friday, “Unfortunately, we’re not going to know” a specific reason, even though the study showed signs of paranoia and mental health issues.
FBI terrorist agent Sanjay Virmani said that the case had nothing to do with terrorism and that Yoo did what she did on her own.
At their news conference on Friday, the authorities showed a shocking video of the blast that came from police dash cams and officers’ body cameras. Children in a nearby park were scared by the flare gunshots and officers’ attempts to talk to Yoo and get him to leave his house. Body cam video of these events was also shown.
Although none of the first responders were seriously hurt, Penn said that several cops ended up going to the hospital in the days after the incident.
Authorities had already said that Yoo had been acting strangely and that he often called the FBI to say that he was a victim of scams and schemes. According to court records, he also brought federal cases that were thrown out because they were not valid. Judges said that some of the lawsuits that were made between 2018 and 2022 were “convoluted” or “confused.” One complaint said he was locked up against his will.
Friday, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said that investigators had found proof that Yoo planned to start the fire that led to the blast. Gasoline containers that could hold 35 gallons were found in his basement by investigators.
The agent said they couldn’t say for sure how he started the fire and explosion. He said it could have been gunshots setting off gasoline vapors or just a match or lighter.
To try to get Yoo to leave, police used pepper spray and tear gas, but they said before and again at Friday’s press conference that those chemicals were not dangerous. At the beginning of the standoff, they also cut off the home’s natural gas line.
Source: AP
