Suspect In Arlington House Explosion Presumed Dead: Police

ARLINGTON, VA — A man suspected of firing a flare gun from his home in Arlington on Monday night before his home exploded, rocking the neighborhood with a powerful blast, is presumed dead, officials said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

The house exploded in the Bluemont neighborhood of Arlington after police issued an alert about a suspect shooting a flare gun in the area.

At Tuesday's news conference, Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn said police believe the suspect, James Yoo, 56, was inside the home at the time of the explosion and police are working to confirm his death.

Penn said that the police department had not had any interactions with Yoo at the address on North Burlington Street, aside from two calls for service for loud noise over the past two years.

"The suspect was inside the residence at the time of the explosion, and he is presumed at this point to be deceased," Penn said. "Human remains have been located at the scene and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will work to positively identify the individual and determine the cause and manner of death."

Penn said the police department's investigation has shifted into a recovery operation as the department works to recover all available evidence. There are no other suspects in the case, he said.

Yoo's residence was a duplex, and the people who lived on the other side were evacuated before the explosion.

County leaders were joined by officials from the FBI and ATF at Tuesday's news conference.

On Monday evening, as police officers were attempting to execute a search warrant at the residence, "the suspect discharged several rounds inside the home," police said. “Subsequently, an explosion occurred at the residence and officers continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion.”

The house exploded around 8:25 p.m., shaking houses across Arlington. Soon after the explosion, Arlington Fire and EMS said it was on the scene of a structure fire at 844 North Burlington Street. Officers on the scene reported minor injuries, with no one taken to the hospital, police said.

By evacuating nearby residents prior to the explosion, "fire department personnel absolutely saved lives in anticipation of what could happen," Arlington County Fire Assistant Chief Jason Jenkins said Tuesday.

Fire department personnel began evacuating nearby homes around 7 p.m. on Monday, about 90 minutes before the house exploded.

As for what caused the explosion, Jenkins said it is an ongoing investigation and there is no timeline for its conclusion. He did note that natural gas to the house was turned off at the meter prior to the explosion.

During the barricade situation, with the goal of getting Yoo to leave the house, Penn said police officers deployed nonflammable chemical munitions into the home in areas where they believed Yoo was hiding.

When asked whether those chemical munitions could have contributed to the explosion, Jenkins said, "Again, we're not going to speculate on chemicals causing the explosion."

Aaron Miller, Arlington's deputy county manager for public safety and information technology, said at the news conference that about 10 households near the explosion site were damaged and that Arlington County is offering assistance to those residents, ranging from housing and shelter to toiletries and other necessities to mental health counseling.

The area surrounding the house that exploded will remain closed "for the foreseeable future" as the county cleans up debris and the investigation continues, Miller said. Debris was found several streets away from the explosion, he added.

On Monday night, Del. Patrick Hope, who lives nearby, said: "For all who are checking in — my family and I are fine but our house shook and we could see the flames from our front yard. Thank you @ArlingtonVaPD @ArlingtonVaFD who are on the scene of a very dangerous situation tonight."

Police had taped off several blocks around the explosion area — from north of Interstate 66 on N. George Mason Drive to Wilson Boulevard — and said they were still searching for possible evidence from the explosion around 11 p.m. on Monday night.

Arlington Fire and EMS said the fire was controlled around 10:30 p.m. and firefighters were battling small spot fires by that time. The explosion knocked out power to several homes in the neighborhood.

The incident began at about 4:45 p.m. on Monday, when the Arlington County Police Department was dispatched to the 800 block of N. Burlington Street for the report of possible shots heard.

Police learned that the suspect had fired a flare gun about 30 to 40 times from inside his house into the surrounding neighborhood. No property damage or injuries were reported related to the discharge of the flare gun, police said.

As they continued their investigation, police obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s residence and attempted to make contact with him by telephone and through loudspeakers. The suspect did not respond and remained barricaded inside the residence.

Just before the explosion, Arlington County police issued an alert on social media that it was in the 800 block of N. Burlington St. investigating a suspect who had discharged a flare gun from his residence. "Expect continued police activity and avoid the area," police said.

About 10 minutes later, the house exploded.

A neighbor, Alex Wilson, who took a video showing the massive explosion, told FOX 5 that a SWAT armored vehicle started driving toward the house and that the suspect was firing a weapon — probably an assault rifle — at the police vehicle.

"He shot flares at the beginning. He was not shooting flares near the end," Wilson said about the standoff.

When asked whether the firearm has been recovered from the scene of the explosion and whether it was legally purchased by the suspect, Penn said he could not provide any details because it is still too early in the investigation.

ARLnow reported Monday that Yoo had recently posted a rant against his neighbors in the adjoining duplex unit on his LinkedIn account, which has now been deactivated.

Penn said the police department is aware of Yoo's social media posts and that law enforcement will be reviewing them as part of the investigation into the explosion.

Dave Sundberg, FBI Washington Field Office assistant director, said the suspect previously communicated with the FBI via phone calls, online tips and letters over several years.

"I would characterize these communications as primarily complaints about alleged frauds that he believed were perpetrated against him," Sundberg said at the news conference.

The communications received by the FBI from the suspect did not lead to the bureau opening an investigation, he said.