Crime
Lockdown Lifted After Suspect with Fake Gun Taken into Custody at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda
BETHESDA, Md. — A report of an active shooter at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday morning prompted a campus-wide lockdown, but authorities later confirmed the incident involved a person carrying a fake firearm.
According to the Montgomery County Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 8900 block of Rockville Pike at approximately 10:24 a.m. after receiving reports of an active shooter.
Responding units quickly located and apprehended a suspect, who was found to be in possession of a replica or fake gun.
The individual was taken into custody without further incident.
Montgomery County police confirmed that there is no active threat to the community and that the scene has been secured.
Naval Support Activity Bethesda, which oversees the Walter Reed campus, immediately initiated lockdown procedures out of an abundance of caution.
Access gates were temporarily closed to all non-emergency vehicle traffic during the police response.
Officials have not yet released the identity of the individual taken into custody or the motive behind the incident.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.