From Fredericksburg Police:
On Wednesday, April 13th, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the Fredericksburg E-911 Center received a call from a Virginia Outdoors Center employee who reported a suspicious male walking around the property with a large-edged weapon in his hand. Patrol officers responded, located a person matching the suspicious male’s description carrying a large butcher knife, and attempted to talk with him. When the male saw law enforcement, he wenti nside the Virginia Outdoor Center and locked the exterior door. No employees were in the building when the subject barricaded himself inside.
Patrol officers set up a perimeter around the Outdoor Center and attempted to deescalate the situation while the department’s Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) and Special Equipment Tactical Team (SETT) were requested to respond to the incident. When CNT arrived, they took over communication with the subject and continued to attempt to deescalate the situation.
Officers witnessed the subject inside gathering additional edged tools. After several hours of verbal requests asking the subject to exit the building voluntarily, the SETT team made entry and discovered the subject had started a fire inside the Outdoors Center. The SETT Team took the subject into custody and removed him from the building before going back in to extinguish the fire.
Gary Wood Jr, 32, of Woodford was arrested on the following charges:
• Arson
• Trespassing
• Unlawful entry
• Destruction of property
He remains incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
