Washington photographer Alex Brandon and reporters Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo and Michael Biesecker delivered exclusive reporting and photos of a disturbed man who held the capital hostage for hours last week when he threatened to blow up his truck outside the Library of Congress.
Authorities investigate the suspect’s pickup truck parked in front of the Library of Congress' Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, Aug. 19, 2021.
AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster
Tucker received an exclusive tip that something was happening near the U.S. Capitol; Balsamo confirmed it and they quickly filed an alert. AP had details of the threat for a solid 20 minutes before anyone else reported it, and continued to report exclusive details of building evacuations and the police response. Meanwhile, Biesecker dug up details of the suspect’s life and spoke with familymembers who were concerned about the man’s mental state.
At the scene, Brandon scrambled to a vantage point at the Capitol and was first to make photos — and report — when the man finally surrendered to authorities. Our exclusive alert and story based on Brandon’s details moved before other news organizations that relied on the news conference. Brandon’s images of the truck and the man surrendering were also AP exclusives. Fellow photographer Carolyn Kaster made photos of the investigation that followed.