Virginia cops revealed Tuesday that 56-year-old James Yoo is suspected of firing at cops before his house shockingly exploded Monday evening in the D.C. suburb of Arlington.
Authorities didn’t reveal the exact cause of the explosion, which viral clips showed a duplex home being entirely obliterated, but acknowledged that Yoo—who is now presumed dead—had made a series of “concerning” social media posts in the weeks leading up to the blast about “alleged frauds he believed were perpetrated against him.”
In a press conference, Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn said that remains were recovered at the blast site, and that “all factors point to” them belonging to Yoo—ending fears a suspect may be on the loose. Three officers were also injured in the chaos.
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Prior to the explosion, Penn said scores of officers were sent to Yoo’s home on Monday afternoon to execute a search warrant after a 911 caller reported that Yoo had fired a flare gun at neighboring homes between 30 and 40 times.
Once there, Penn said Yoo refused to speak with officers, who began firing non-flammable chemical munitions into the home to try and coax Yoo to come outside. Penn said he wouldn’t speculate if those chemicals could have contributed to the blast, but confirmed firefighters had cut off gas to the home well before the explosion occurred.
The explosion happened around 8:25 p.m. Monday, authorities said, with witnesses telling local media that the blast could be heard and felt from miles away. Penn said his department’s standoff with Yoo started around 4:45 p.m. and continued until the explosion.
Penn said shots were fired from inside the house before the explosion, which ignited flames that took nearly three hours to completely extinguish.
While Penn addressed Yoo’s seemingly deranged posts, which were uncovered Monday night on LinkedIn—before his page was removed—and on YouTube on Tuesday, the chief said he could not weigh a potential motive for the flare firing or say whether the blast was a violent act or not.
Yoo’s posts, screenshots of which were reviewed by The Daily Beast before their removal, included a paranoid rant in which he suggested his neighbors were spies that were stalking him. He also posted zoomed-in photos of neighbors leaving their vehicles.
The final post on James Yoo’s LinkedIn before it was disabled Tuesday morning.
LinkedInThe biography for Yoo’s LinkedIn described him as a “Former Head of Information and Physical Security” at an “international telecommunication company.” The bio also railed against America, reading, “I gave THEM/Y’ALL every opportunity to ‘do the right thing’ and all I see is America’s hypocrisy, corruption, fraud, conspiracy.”
In other posts, reviewed by Fox News, Yoo referred to his ex-wife as a “witch” and wrote “#F---AMERICA.” In a late October post, he reportedly claimed that he was being targeted with “hateful messaging” and made reference to an assassination.
Alex Wilson, a neighbor who recorded video of the explosion, told the local outlet ARLnow that Yoo was a recluse who largely stayed inside his home, covering his windows in aluminum foil.
Wilson said that Yoo chased off potential buyers of his home with a knife in 2021. Despite that claim, Penn said police were only called to Yoo’s residence for noise complaints in recent years.
Authorities told the public to expect a “prolonged” probe into what caused the explosion.
