A man is in custody after he allegedly rammed into a barrier at the FBI Atlanta field office, an official said. According to the bureau, the driver rammed his vehicle into the front gate of its office on Monday, April 1, 2024. While the man is in custody, his motives remain unknown.
FBI officials say the incident happened shortly after noon on Monday when the driver of a Buick Encore with South Carolina license plates arrived at the front gate. Pete Ellis, assistant special agent in charge of the agency’s Atlanta office, said the driver tried to follow an employee’s car through the gated entrance.
Ellis said the driver tried to make his way onto the FBI campus in suburban Chamblee. However, security precautions prevented him from entering. The entrance’s pop-up wedge barrier engaged, stopping the driver, as it does after every vehicle passes through.
However, the suspect rammed into it, destroying his car, FBI spokesperson Tony Thomas said. The man then exited his SUV and tried to run inside past the gate. However, officials tackled him soon after. “Several of our special agents who were passing by apprehended him,” said Ellis.
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Furthermore, Ellis noted that the man was not “not associated with this facility.” After taking him into custody, a bomb squad and a search team checked the vehicle as a precaution. The officials cleared the car, saying they found no weapons in it.
Following the incident, Ellis said officials took the man to an Atlanta hospital for evaluation. Video from the scene showed a reddish-orange SUV with its hood crumpled against a retractable barrier inside the front gate. The vehicle was taken away by a tow truck just before 4 p.m.
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Consequently, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Atlanta, the man faces a federal charge of government property destruction. The suspect, identified as Ervin Lee Bolling, also faces a local charge of interference with government property.
The Dekalb County Police Department identified the suspect on Tuesday, April 2. Afterward, the US Navy confirmed that Bolling was a Marine veteran who retired in 2017. Although he remains in the hospital, he will face state charges of interfering with government activity.
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The federal government has also charged Bolling. Prosecutors charged him with willfully injuring or committing depredation against property of the United States over $1,000. According to court documents, an attorney has not yet represented Bolling.
Prosecutors have not commented on the charges listed in online court records. Navy records state that the retired US marine enlisted in the Navy in January 1998 and served as a submarine sonar technician before retiring in 2017.
Bolling hasn’t commented on the charges levied against him as he remains in the hospital. However, Navy records list South Carolina as his home.
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