State highway patrol troopers and local law enforcement agents responded Thursday morning to an apparent attempt by an armed suspect to breach the FBI field office building in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Details on the situation are still unfolding. Authorities confirmed publicly that the incident took place around 9 a.m. local time, prompting them to shut down roughly a one-mile stretch of a nearby highway and issue a lockdown warning for residents and businesses in the surrounding area.
The suspect, who has not yet been otherwise identified, raised alarms by allegedly attempting to break in through the visitor screening center, according to a message posted by the FBI Cincinnati Twitter account several hours after the incident. The FBI said the individual fled following an immediate response from special agents, and began traveling north on Interstate 71.
The #FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement partners are on scene near Wilmington, OH trying to resolve this critical incident.
https://t.co/SWDZTkrnhL— FBI Cincinnati (@FBICincinnati) August 11, 2022
The man exchanged gunfire with police during a subsequent highway chase that involved multiple law enforcement vehicles, a CareFlite emergency helicopter and Red Cross personnel, and was wounded during the exchange despite appearing to shield himself with body armor, according to an Associated Press report and additional information published by the Wilmington News Journal, which monitored local police scanners throughout the morning and into the afternoon.
Law enforcement indicated that the man pointed a gun, which they suggested was a rifle, in their direction after stopping his car on the roadway, exiting and dropping to his knees while holding the weapon, the News Journal reported.
About three hours after the reported breach took place, FBI Cincinnati released a statement confirming that Ohio State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement partners were at the scene and working “to resolve this critical incident.”
The incident came one day after FBI Director Christoper Wray delivered a warning about violent threats circulating online in the aftermath of this week’s FBI search at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.