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A Florida man who showed up outside CIA headquarters and told officers he was armed was later arrested in Virginia with an AK-47 rifle at a nearby preschool.
Eric Sandow, 32, of Gainesville, Florida, was taken into custody Tuesday after allegedly breaking into Dolly Madison Preschool in Fairfax County. NBC Washington reported,
Police say he asked if he could go inside the school to use the bathroom, but staff refused and he wandered off.
(Fairfax County Police Department)
He is then picked up by the police and tells them that he is going to talk to the CIA, which is located a mile away.
Investigators say he was not armed at the time and did not make any threats. The officers who took him into custody then searched his car and recovered two firearms.
Earlier he had shown up at the agency’s headquarters and told security personnel, “I’m here and I have a gun,” a law enforcement source told CNN.
Sandow was charged with possession of a firearm on school property.
Yesterday, our officers removed an AK-47 from the streets of Dolly Madison Preschool in McLean after an individual trespassed. Officers found the unarmed man who said he was making his way to the CIA. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/l3Vdo12Ks8
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 24, 2023
He appeared in the court through video link on Thursday, but did not enter the plea. A judge ordered him into custody and his next court appearance is set for July 24.
Chris Carter, a defense attorney representing Mr. Sandow at the hearing, said: “There is a high potential for mental health issues to be involved.”
The preschool said police would increase patrols around the school following the incident.
“We are really grateful that the Fairfax County Police responded quickly, and this was nothing more than a tense situation,” said Kristine Ryu-New, a member of the board of directors for Dolly Madison Preschool
