Howard

Armed Robbery Suspects Barricade Inside a Howard-Owned Building for Hours, Closing Eight Blocks of Georgia and Florida Avenues

Thursday, February 22, 2024DCpolice activityadvisorymedium confidence

Confirmed Threat

On February 22, 2024, at approximately 8:06 a.m. EST, D.C. Metropolitan Police were alerted that two individuals had robbed a person at gunpoint at the intersection of 8th Street and Florida Avenue NW. The suspects fled to a building on the 2000 block of Georgia Avenue, owned by Howard University, and barricaded themselves inside, triggering a multi-hour police standoff. Howard University issued a Bison Safe advisory message directing students to clear Georgia and Florida Avenues. Both suspects were detained without incident by mid-morning and eight blocks of road closures were lifted before noon.

Alerts: 2
Response: 5 min
Killed: 0
Injured: 0

Institution

Howard University

Hbcu · DC

~12,000 studentsHU Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPushFeb 22, 2024, 1:06 PM EST

Approximate reconstruction251 chars

Bison Safe Advisory: Due to a police activity investigation near campus, students, faculty, and staff are advised to stay clear of Georgia Avenue NW and Florida Avenue NW until further notice. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Bison Safe advisory was sent around 8:06 a.m. EST on February 22, 2024, when MPD learned two armed robbery suspects had barricaded in a Howard-owned building at 2000 block of Georgia Avenue NW

Eight blocks of roads were closed in the area -- Georgia Avenue NW, Florida Avenue NW, and surrounding streets -- a significant disruption to Howard's campus access routes

Howard University confirmed the suspects entered and barricaded in a university-owned building that had been unoccupied for seven years; the building was secured at the time of entry

ALL CLEARPushBefore noon EST on February 22, 2024

Approximate reconstruction216 chars

Bison Safe Update: The police activity near Georgia Avenue NW and Florida Avenue NW has been resolved. Two individuals were detained without incident. Road closures have been lifted. Normal campus access has resumed.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Both suspects were detained without incident; the standoff resolved before noon EST on February 22, 2024

The all-clear was consistent with the standard Bison Safe format Howard uses for near-campus police activity advisories

No Howard community members were robbed in the initial incident; the original robbery victim was in the general vicinity of campus, not a confirmed Howard student

Context

Background

The February 22, 2024 barricade incident near Howard University began when two suspects robbed a person at gunpoint at 8th Street and Florida Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., approximately one block from Howard's main campus. The suspects fled to a Howard-owned building on the 2000 block of Georgia Avenue and barricaded inside, triggering an MPD response that closed eight blocks of roads in the Howard University corridor. Howard University's Bison Safe system issued an advisory message directing students away from the closed area. The standoff was resolved without further violence when both suspects surrendered and were detained. Howard University is located along Georgia Avenue NW in the Shaw/LeDroit Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and police incidents on the avenue frequently trigger Bison Safe advisories. The incident occurred during Howard's spring 2024 semester and was one of multiple crime alerts issued in the Georgia/Florida Avenue NW corridor in 2024.

Analysis

Key Findings

Suspects barricaded in a Howard-owned building that had been unoccupied for seven years, raising facilities access control questions

Eight blocks of roads closed around Howard's campus for several hours, disrupting morning campus access

Bison Safe advisory issued immediately at 8:06 a.m. when MPD notified Howard of the barricade situation

Both suspects were detained without injury, and the robbery victim was not a confirmed Howard student

Outcome

Two suspects detained without incident by mid-morning. The Howard-owned building on 2000 block of Georgia Avenue had been unoccupied for seven years. Eight blocks of road closures lifted before noon. No injuries reported.

Provenance

Sources

Student Paper
2 detained following attempted armed robbery, standoff with police near hospital (The Hilltop)
thehilltoponline.com
News
2 detained after barricade investigation near Howard University (WJLA)
wjla.com
News
U Street Northwest barricade situation ends with 2 detained (WUSA9)
wusa9.com

Alert Sequence

Background

Key Findings

Sources

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