USA Today Headquarters in Virginia Evacuated After Mistaken Report of Man With Weapon
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The USA Today headquarters in McLean, Va. were evacuated Wednesday morning after a man with a weapon was reported in the area.
Fairfax County PD tweeted an update around 10 a.m. PST that officers are “currently working to clear the building” and that “we have found no evidence of any acts of violence or injuries.”
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UPDATE: We are working to investigate this reported threat. Officers are currently working to clear the building. At this time, we have found no evidence of any acts of violence or injuries. #FCPD #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/CbCfsO2etj
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 7, 2019
USA Today reported that a law enforcement source indicated the call was being treated as a mistake and that there was no indication of a shooter or shooting inside the building.
The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted around 9:25 a.m. PST that it was responding to “reports of a man with weapon at the Gannett Building.”
We are responding to reports of a man with weapon at the Gannett Building located at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in McLean. Please avoid the area, updates to follow #FCPD pic.twitter.com/cwz3c9wdUx
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 7, 2019
The police also advised the public to avoid the area.
According to USA Today’s own report about the evacuation, alarms sounded at the building while police responded to the scene, including the presence of a helicopter. USA Today biz trends reporter Nathan Bomey tweeted that the building is shared with several other unrelated companies.
We have evacuated the @USATODAY headquarters in McLean, Virginia, after reports of someone who may have had a weapon in the building. pic.twitter.com/EF8DJQCqsN
— Nathan Bomey (@NathanBomey) August 7, 2019
The incident comes two days after a merger between the two biggest newspaper organizations in the country, Gannett (which owns USA Today) and GateHouse Media, was announced.
It also follows on the heels of three mass shootings in the past week that rocked the nation. The combined death toll from the July 28 Gilroy, Calif. shooting and Aug. 3 and 4 El Paso and Dayton shootings reached 34, with numerous others injured.
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