After a massive explosion leveled a home in a huge fireball during a police standoff, attention has now turned to the man who lived there—and his disturbing social media posts.
Officers were called to the duplex in Arlington, Virginia, around 4:45 p.m. on Monday following reports that shots from a flare gun had been repeatedly fired from the property. Investigators obtained a search warrant, but more shots were fired from inside the property as officers prepared to enter it and the building exploded shortly before 8:30 p.m.
The force of the explosion in the 800 block of N. Burlington Street rocked the neighborhood and shot flames and debris into the air, which rained down on surrounding streets. Several videos taken by witnesses, who were filming the police standoff, captured the moment the building was destroyed.
Spectacular footage of the blast was posted on X (previously Twitter) by an account with the handle @connormaj.
The clip has been shared by thousands of people and watched more than 15 million times.
Local news website ARLnow.com reported that a man named James Yoo was listed in the public records as living at the address.
It subsequently emerged that Yoo's Linkedin social media account was filled with diatribes against the police, the government, and even his own neighbors, who he described as "spies" who were living under assumed names to monitor him and report back to their "handlers." They had been stalking him since the 1990s, he allegedly said in one post, adding: "This is how White people operate."
Alex Wilson, who lives in the same street, told ARLnow.com that Yoo was a recluse who had covered his windows with aluminium foil.
Yoo also appears to have had a Youtube channel, with 16 videos posted on the site dating back to early November. Many were simply screengrabs showing his posts on Linkedin.
His most recent video was captioned: "James Yoo's LinkedIn posts from November 3rd 2023 through December 1st 2023." Some of the posts contained photographs, which the account claimed were Yoo's neighbors; the pictures appear to be of unsuspecting residents as they came and went from their homes.
It is not yet clear whether Yoo was at home at the time of the explosion or whether he was involved in the police incident. Authorities have not yet released the name of the suspect involved or revealed whether anyone else was inside the property at the time of the explosion.
Ashley Savage, spokesperson for the Arlington County Police Department, told The New York Times that officers hadn't yet entered the property.
"We have not been able to access the home at this point, so I don't have the status of the suspect," Savage said, adding that the man was "believed to be inside the residence at the time of the explosion."
Newsweek has reached out to Arlington County Police Department by email seeking further information and comment.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Arlington County Police Department posted a statement about the incident on their Facebook page.
"At approximately 4:45 p.m. on December 4, the Arlington County Police Department was dispatched to the 800 block of N. Burlington Street for the report of possible shots heard," the post began. "The preliminary investigation indicated a suspect discharged a flare gun approximately 30 – 40 times from inside his residence into the surrounding neighborhood. No property damage or injuries were reported related to the discharge of the flare gun.
"During the course of the investigation, officers obtained a search warrant for the suspect's residence and attempted to make contact with the suspect over the telephone and through loudspeakers. The suspect did not respond and remained barricaded inside the residence. As officers were attempting to execute the search warrant, the suspect discharged several rounds, from what is believed to be a firearm, inside the home. Subsequently, at approximately 8:25 p.m., an explosion occurred at the residence. The investigation into the circumstances of the explosion are ongoing.
"The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire. As of approximately 10:30 p.m., the fire is under control and crews continue to battle small spot fires.
"Three officers reported minor injuries and there were no transports to the hospital related to this incident. The investigation is ongoing."
Update 5/12/23, 6:42 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
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