Mason Police District – A man safely left the rooftop on his own after barricading himself inside a building and atop the apartment roof for more than 21 hours.
At 3:52 p.m. yesterday, officers responded to an apartment in the 6000 block of Bellview Drive in Culmore for an assault with a baseball bat. Two victims were abducted by a roommate, then one victim was assaulted with a baseball bat. The victims were able to escape the apartment and call the police.
Inside the apartment, 21-year-old Brian Ramos of Falls Church was alone with his cat and armed with a knife. Despite officers’ attempts to engage in conversation, Ramos refused to come out and proceeded to make threats with the knife.
Officers assigned to our Crisis Negotiation Team, Unmanned Aircraft System Program, and officers from our Special Operations Division (SOD) responded to assist with taking Ramos into custody. Officers made multiple attempts to contact Ramos over several hours, but he consistently refused. At around 12:20 a.m., officers observed Ramos initiating a fire within the apartment. Subsequently, Ramos fatally harmed the cat and proceeded to exit his apartment and climb to the roof.
After the 21-hour standoff, Ramos climbed down a ladder that was provided by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue. He was taken into custody without any further incidents. Ramos was taken to an area hospital to be evaluated and then taken to the Fairfax County Detention Center and charged with 2 counts of Abduction, and 2 counts of Assault. Potential charges are pending for the death of the cat and arson. He is being held without bond.
