Navy veteran in custody after allegedly driving into barrier at Atlanta FBI office

[essentialsaltes]

The entrance's pop-up wedge barrier engaged, as it does after every vehicle passes through, and the suspect rammed into it, destroying his car, FBI spokesperson Tony Thomas said.

The man then got out of his SUV and tried to run inside past the gate, but he was tackled soon after, FBI officials said.

Officials would not identify the suspect Monday. Ellis said the man was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

AP story
Ervin Lee Bolling faces a federal charge of destroying government property stemming from the crash that happened shortly after noon on Monday, according to a court filing.

'You shall not pass!'

 

[AlexB23]

The entrance's pop-up wedge barrier engaged, as it does after every vehicle passes through, and the suspect rammed into it, destroying his car, FBI spokesperson Tony Thomas said.

The man then got out of his SUV and tried to run inside past the gate, but he was tackled soon after, FBI officials said.

Officials would not identify the suspect Monday. Ellis said the man was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

AP story
Ervin Lee Bolling faces a federal charge of destroying government property stemming from the crash that happened shortly after noon on Monday, according to a court filing.

'You shall not pass!'

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He should have used a hover car, to hover over the barrier. Just kidding. Man, this stuff is crazy. People should not be breaking into facilities. This world has gotten crazy. Guess this SUV driver is a true April fool (cos April 1st was April fool's day), so we must pray for him, that he never does anything risky again.

Here is a quick summary of the article in question, Man in custody after allegedly driving into barrier at Atlanta FBI office :

On April 1, 2024, a man was apprehended after attempting to forcefully enter the FBI's Atlanta field office by ramming his vehicle into a retractable wedge barrier. The incident occurred around noon when the suspect, driving a Buick Encore with South Carolina license plates, attempted to follow an employee's car through a gated entrance.

Upon approaching the entrance, the barrier engaged as it does after every vehicle passes, but the suspect rammed into it with such force that he destroyed his car. The man then exited his vehicle and attempted to run inside past the gate, but was tackled by several FBI special agents who were present at the scene.

The incident prompted a response from the b*mb squad and search team as a precaution, but no weapons or explosives were found in the vehicle. The suspect was taken to a hospital for evaluation and his identity was not released by officials at that time.

Motivations behind the incident are currently unclear, and both state and federal charges are being considered. The man was not associated with the facility in question.

Retractable wedge barriers are commonly used at federal facilities, including military bases and FBI offices, to prevent unauthorized access by vehicles. These barriers consist of triangular steel forms that rise up to stop a vehicle at a height sufficient to deter intruders. They are rated based on their ability to stop vehicles of various weights and speeds upon impact.

An example of such an incident occurred in 2018 when a minivan was prevented from entering White House grounds after the driver attempted to drive through a gate. The woman driving the minivan was known for her presence outside the White House and may have had behavioral issues at the time.

FBI agents undergo ongoing training to prepare for scenarios such as this.

 

[essentialsaltes]

What we know about man accused of breaching FBI gate in Atlanta​

His Facebook page is mostly private, but he has publicly posted videos critical of President Joe Biden. In 2021, he set his profile photo to a comic criticizing the public safety measures meant to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bolling has no criminal history beyond a few speeding tickets, public records show.

 

[AlexB23]

What we know about man accused of breaching FBI gate in Atlanta​

His Facebook page is mostly private, but he has publicly posted videos critical of President Joe Biden. In 2021, he set his profile photo to a comic criticizing the public safety measures meant to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bolling has no criminal history beyond a few speeding tickets, public records show.

I knew that this guy was probably a far-right individual. Wonder what drove him (pun intended) to commit a serious crime by breaching a government facility? Sounds oddly familiar to what happened on January 6th, where a MAGA crowd broke into the Capitol.


Here is a summary of the article, for those who want to know about the man's military background:

The article by Henri Hollis, published on April 2, 2024, reports on a man identified as Ervin Lee Bolling, who attempted to breach the gate at the FBI's Atlanta headquarters on March 25, 2024. The incident occurred when a man driving an orange Buick Encore rammed into a wedge barrier just inside the facility's gate.

FBI investigators have not disclosed any suspected motive for the incident, and Bolling has not made his first court appearance. A bomb specialist searched the car before it was towed away, but no explosives or other weapons were reportedly found.

Bolling was arrested by DeKalb County police and detained at the scene, but there is no record of him being booked into the DeKalb jail. The police are working with federal officials to secure warrants on state charges.

The FBI has not shared any details about the security protocols at the Chamblee facility, but spokesman Tony Thomas stated that it was a normal day at the facility on Tuesday.

Publicly available records indicate that Bolling is a 48-year-old resident of Easley, South Carolina, and works as an insurance broker at Bankers Life since 2018. His office phone went unanswered on the day of the incident. Bolling is a U.S. Navy veteran who served as an enlisted submarine warfare specialist for over 20 years, between 1993 and 2017. He served on four submarines: USS Columbia, USS Albany, USS North Carolina, and USS Alaska. Bolling received several medals for good conduct and service in the global war on terrorism.

Bolling has a family, including three daughters, according to his Bankers Life profile. His Facebook page is mostly private, but he has publicly posted videos critical of President Joe Biden. In 2021, he set his avatar to a comic criticizing the public safety measures meant to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Bolling has no criminal history beyond a few speeding tickets, according to available records.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Update from a few days after the incident.

FBI gate crash suspect detained pending mental health evaluation​

Bolling is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran who was honorably discharged in 2017 after nearly 20 years of service, Takiya Wheeler, his court-appointed attorney, told the judge. Wheeler said Bolling has no criminal history and does not present a danger to the community, though he is in the midst of a mental health crisis.

“Suicidal ideation alone is not a danger to the community,” Wheeler said. “He’s having a crisis right now, which is evident.”

Upon release from the hospital, Bolling told federal agents that driving into the FBI barrier was a suicide attempt, FBI agent Matthew Upshaw testified Monday. Upshaw said he searched Bolling’s vehicle and found no weapons or evidence that Bolling had planned an attack.

After taking Bolling into custody, agents searched him and found that he was carrying his passport.

 

[AlexB23]

Update from a few days after the incident.

FBI gate crash suspect detained pending mental health evaluation​

Bolling is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran who was honorably discharged in 2017 after nearly 20 years of service, Takiya Wheeler, his court-appointed attorney, told the judge. Wheeler said Bolling has no criminal history and does not present a danger to the community, though he is in the midst of a mental health crisis.

“Suicidal ideation alone is not a danger to the community,” Wheeler said. “He’s having a crisis right now, which is evident.”

Upon release from the hospital, Bolling told federal agents that driving into the FBI barrier was a suicide attempt, FBI agent Matthew Upshaw testified Monday. Upshaw said he searched Bolling’s vehicle and found no weapons or evidence that Bolling had planned an attack.

After taking Bolling into custody, agents searched him and found that he was carrying his passport.

Hopefully this guy gets the right mental health treatments. At this point, mental health care should be free, or very low cost in the US.

 

[Pommer]

Hopefully this guy gets the right mental health treatments. At this point, mental health care should be free, or very low cost in the US.

“Should be”, but isn’t.

 

[AlexB23]

“Should be”, but isn’t.

Yep, cos of divisiveness in the US.