On Wednesday afternoon [1], a woman armed with a handgun was apprehended following a tense standoff at the FBI building in downtown Seattle. The incident began around 3:04 p.m. when the woman entered a publicly accessible area of the building, attempting to gain access to the lobby.
FBI spokesperson Steve Bernd stated that the woman did not manage to enter the secure lobby and was contained in an area where visitors wait to be buzzed in. The FBI, along with the Seattle Police Department, swiftly responded to the situation, cordoning off a block of streets near the building to ensure public safety. Posts to social media allegedly show multiple angles as the incident unfolded:
🚨#BREAKING [2]: Numerous Law enforcement are in a standoff with a Armed Female inside the FBI Building ⁰⁰📌#Seattle [3] | #Washington [4] ⁰⁰Currently, numerous law enforcement agencies and other responders are at the scene in downtown Seattle, Washington, where they are engaged in a… pic.twitter.com/TrUxg8ZYkp [5]
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 12, 2024 [6]
❗️🔥🇺🇲 – In a bizarre and tense situation, police officers were seen pointing guns at the FBI office in downtown Seattle, Washington.
According to reports, police closed roads around the @FBISeattle [7] building and moved pedestrians away from the area.
The situation appears to… pic.twitter.com/RbYsOIUkP5 [8]
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) June 12, 2024 [9]
Negotiators from both the FBI and Seattle police engaged in discussions with the woman for over an hour. Throughout the negotiations, the woman, who had been pointing the gun at her chest, eventually surrendered without any injuries reported. The authorities have yet to release her identity or the motives behind her actions.