The Brief
Richard Griffin was arrested for threatening to kill Long Beach Rep. Robert Garcia.
Griffin was arrested on Election Day by US Capitol Police. Gracia was in California at the time.
Griffin was on a be-on-the-lookout bulletin published by the USCP’s Threat Assessment Section on Oct. 28.
LOS ANGELES – A Pennsylvania man was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill local U.S. Congressman Robert Garcia.
What we know
The threats against Rep. Garcia, D-Long Beach, were made by 43-year-old Richard Griffin, who U.S. Capitol police say has “a history of emailing a Congressional office, as well as various government officials and law enforcement agencies.”
A statement issued by Garcia’s office on Tuesday said the suspect allegedly sent a message to his congressional office, “stating that he was going to travel to Washington, D.C. to kill him.”
Griffin was spotted by a USCP Rapid Response Team around 12:30 p.m. on Election Day and “was stopped before he could attempt to go through security screening at the Delaware Avenue Door of the Russell Senate Office Building,” according to a news release.
Garcia was in California at the time, his office later announced.
Griffin had been the subject of a be-on-the-lookout bulletin published by the USCP’s Threat Assessment Section on Oct. 28.
What they’re saying
“We will not tolerate any threats to the members of Congress, their families or staff,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said in a statement. “Our officers, agents and professional staff work relentlessly to bring offenders to justice. We have a zero-tolerance stance when it comes to threats.”
“Congressman Garcia is in California and is safe,” the statement read. “We are grateful to the U.S. Capitol Police and the House Sergeant at Arms for their swift action and for their continued protection of everyone who works in and visits the Capitol.”
The Source
Information for this story came from City News Service.