This story has been updated.
The USA Today building in McLean, Virginia, was evacuated Wednesday after local police responded to a report of a man with a weapon. There was “no evidence of any acts of violence or injuries,” the Fairfax County Police said on Twitter.
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
Fairfax County police chief Edwin Roessler told reporters that his department had received a 911 call from the Gannett building (Gannett owns USA Today) about a “former employee” who was allegedly seen with a weapon.
Roessler wouldn’t confirm whether the person was a former Gannett employee, only that they used to work at the building.
According to a report by USA Today journalist Tom Vanden Brook, “hundreds” of office workers evacuated the building amid a “heavy police presence.” The paper reported that a loudspeaker announcement said the incident was inside the building.
The Fairfax County police tweeted an alert earlier warning people to “avoid the area.”
A USA Today staffer posted a photo on Twitter of a SWAT team officer on the scene:
SWAT teams evacuation at @USATODAY HQ in Tysons pic.twitter.com/dCh6d160Uv
— William Dyer (@wdyerz) August 7, 2019
USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page told MSNBC that employees and visitors have to go through a security checkpoint to get into the building and either provide a building pass or check in with the guard.
The situation comes days after a round of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio over the weekend that left 31 people dead.
