Originally, police had confirmed that "a man with a weapon" was reported near the USA Today's headquarters. That turns out to be not true.
This story was updated at 2:24 p.m. ET.
The USA Today building in McLean, Virginia, was evacuated today after Fairfax County Police responded to a report of a man with a weapon near the building.
The police department tweeted an alert at 12:25 (ET) that warned people to "avoid the area."
We are responding to reports of a man with weapon at the Gannett Building located at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in McLean. Please avoid the area, updates to follow #FCPD pic.twitter.com/cwz3c9wdUx
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 7, 2019
Alarms sounded as police squad cars arrived at the scene. Officers in full body armor have been patrolling the immediate area and escorting hundreds of office workers outside. According to reports, the USA Today headquarters is home to non-newspaper offices.
Police have confirmed that this event did occur, however, they've yet to elaborate on any details on whether it was an active shooter event or not. Reports of gunshots have yet to be confirmed. No other details have been given at this time.
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
UPDATE: Reportedly, as of 2:26 p.m. ET, no danger was found, and the reports of a man with a weapon were "mistaken."
UPDATE: Police say report of a man with a weapon at USA TODAY headquarters was mistaken, after building evacuatedhttps://t.co/Aw3fZvcd2m
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 7, 2019
This story is ongoing and will be updated.
