ATLANTA (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a U.S. Navy veteran who's accused of ramming an SUV into a barrier at the front gate of the FBI's Atlanta office.
Ervin Lee Bolling faces a federal charge of destroying government property stemming from the crash that happened shortly after noon on Monday, according to a court filing. A DeKalb County police spokesperson said Tuesday that officers have also secured warrants on state charges of interference with government property.
No attorney who could comment on the charges was listed in online court records.
Bolling enlisted in the Navy in January 1998 and served as a submarine sonar technician before retiring in 2017, according to Navy records. The records list South Carolina as his home of record.
The Atlanta FBI office in suburban Chamblee is surrounded by a metal fence with a retractable gate that employee enter by scanning an access card. Just inside the gate, there's a barrier that flattens to allow authorized cars to enter and then lifts back up again.
Bolling was driving at 2022 Buick Encore GX SUV with a South Carolina license plate and crashed it into the barrier inside the gate, according to a sworn statement from an FBI agent filed in court.
Video from the scene and a photo filed in court show a reddish-orange SUV with its hood crumpled against the barrier just inside the front gate.
After crashing the SUV, Bolling exited the vehicle and tried to follow an FBI employee into the secure parking lot on foot, the statement says. The agent he tried to follow and two other agents who were leaving at the time instructed him to sit on the curb, but he refused and tried to walk further into the parking lot and then resisted when the agents tried to take him into custody, the statement says.
Once Bolling was in custody, the agents found a passport in his pocket that allowed them to identify him. He was taken to an Atlanta hospital for evaluation.
Pete Ellis, assistant special agent in charge of the agency’s Atlanta office, told reporters on Monday agents and bomb technicians checked the vehicle “as a precaution.” An FBI spokesperson said no weapons were found in the SUV.
The agent's statement says there is significant damage to the barrier that the SUV hit and that a contractor estimated it would cost more than $1,000 to repair.
In an image taken from aerial video from WSB-TV, shows a red vehicle stopped by a barrier at the front gate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta division, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Chamblee, Ga. The FBI says a driver rammed a vehicle into the front gate of its Atlanta office, but his motives were not immediately known. (WSB via AP)
Police release name of man accused of ramming vehicle into front gate of FBI Atlanta office
Police release name of man accused of ramming vehicle into front gate of FBI Atlanta office
In an image taken from aerial video shows a red vehicle stopped by a barrier at the front gate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta division, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Chamblee, Ga. The FBI says a driver rammed a vehicle into the front gate of its Atlanta office, but his motives were not immediately known. (WSB via AP)
ATLANTA (AP) — Two games into the Michael Penix Jr. era, it's clear the Atlanta Falcons are in good hands at quarterback.
Trouble is, there might not be enough time to salvage a trip to the playoffs.
A gut-wrenching loss to the Washington Commanders, who rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to pull out a 30-24 overtime victory Sunday night, dealt a huge blow to Atlanta's postseason hopes.
Now Tampa Bay controls its fate in the NFC South, needing only to win its final game against the lowly New Orleans Saints to lock up the division title.
If that happens, the Falcons (8-8) will spend a tortuous offseason wondering how it all slipped away. They were firmly in control of the division race with a 6-3 mark in early November, only to go on a four-game skid that eventually cost $180 million free-agent signee Kirk Cousins his job as the No. 1 quarterback.
No way this team should be missing the playoffs for seventh year in a row, but that very well could be the case.
“We have to be dominant,” running back Bijan Robinson said Monday. “There’s so much talent on this team, on this offense. The young talent that we have, man, it’s pretty special.”
In retrospect, it's clear the Falcons should have switched to Penix before the final three games of the regular season. The No. 8 overall pick has played extremely well in his first two starts. though it wasn't enough to knock off the Commanders and their rookie star, Jayden Daniels.
Even so, Atlanta might very well have beaten the Commanders — and needed only to win their final game to clinch a playoff spot — if not for some inexplicable time mismanagement by coach Raheem Morris.
He didn't use any of his three timeouts in the closing minutes of the first half, deciding to run the clock down and settle for a field goal instead of going for a touchdown that could've stretched the Atlanta lead to 21-7.
More troubling was Morris' decision not to call a timeout — he had two remaining — after Penix hooked up with Darnell Mooney on a 25-yard completion with 40 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 24.
The Falcons allowed the clock to run down to 17 seconds before the offense finally got lined up for a play that resulted in an incompletion. After another incomplete pass, Morris finally called a timeout while the clock was not running.
A pair of penalties gave the Falcons a chance to win with a 56-yard field goal, but Riley Patterson's kick landed far short. The Commanders won the game in overtime without Atlanta ever getting another possession.
If Morris had used his two timeouts during that final drive of the fourth quarter, Atlanta would've had time to get Patterson in position for a more reasonable field-goal attempt.
The coach said Monday that he wanted to keep the clock running to prevent the Commanders from subbing in their pass-rushing specialists.
“You definitely go back and second-guess it when it doesn't work,” Morris said. “When it doesn't go right, I'm not gonna run away and blame it on anybody else. I apologize to our fans for not getting it done."
In his second NFL start, Penix continued to impress with his arm strength and decision-making. He completed 19 of 35 passes for 223 yards, including his first career touchdown to cap a dramatic fourth-quarter drive that forced overtime. Penix converted twice on fourth-and-long with laser-like throws.
On the other side of the line, the Falcons recorded five sacks — one each from five players — to mark their fifth straight game with at least three QB takedowns. They have 21 sacks during that span, compared with an NFL-low 10 sacks over the first 11 games.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson inexplicably abandoned the running game after Robinson carried 13 times for 82 yards in the first half. Robinson had only four carries for 8 yards the rest of the way.
WR Drake London had seven catches for 106 yards to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career.
CB A.J. Terrell covered Commanders WR Terry McLaurin on 32 of his 34 routes, allowing just one reception for 5 yards on seven targets, according to Next Gen Stats. McLaurin had been averaging 4.9 receptions, 14.1 yards per reception and 68.6 yards per game.
Morris' game management issues turned up the heat on a first-year coach who was hired with a clear mandate to get the Falcons back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. With that goal now in major jeopardy, it will be intriguing to see if there's any fallout should the Falcons come up short.
The Falcons were shorthanded in the secondary with CBs Antonio Hamilton (quad) and Kevin King (concussion) sitting out. Atlanta reported no significant injuries during the game.
10:59 — Washington's advantage in time of possession in the second half, when the Commanders ran 41 plays to Atlanta's 24. The third quarter was particularly striking as the Commanders took 25 snaps while the Falcons went three-and-out in their lone possession.
To claim the NFC South title and earn a home playoff game, the Falcons must defeat Carolina (4-12) on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and get an upset win from New Orleans (5-11) in its game at Tampa Bay that kicks off at the same time.
The first part of that equation is certainly doable. Atlanta beat the Panthers 38-20 when they met at Charlotte on Oct. 13. But counting on a Saints win is far more problematic. New Orleans has lost three in a row, been outscored 59-10 the last two weeks and looked dreadful again in a 25-10 home loss to the lowly Raiders.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrates after winning over the Atlanta Falcons in overtime during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris talks to reporters after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won in overtime 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Drake London (5) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
