A bridge inspector was fatally stabbed on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Thursday afternoon.
Robert Bolich, 62, of Alexandria, Virginia, was stabbed while working on the new $480 million bridge. First responders found him suffering from multiple wounds about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. He was taken a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Lance Ammons, 42, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. It's unclear what he was doing at the bridge.
“It appears like it happened in the pedestrian walkway,” D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said. “The victim in this case is one of the contract workers that’s working on the bridge. We don’t know what exactly, what transpired, what the motive was for the stabbing, but we do have a suspect in custody.”
Court documents show Ammons was arrested by U.S. Park Police in 2016 for “threatening to kidnap or cause bodily harm” to someone in front of the Organization of American States Building. It’s not clear whether he was prosecuted for that.
Some lanes were blocked during the height of rush hour while police investigated.
"All of us at HNTB are shocked and saddened by the sudden death of our colleague, Rob Bolich," the firm for which the victim worked said in a statement. "Our hearts and thoughts are with his family and loved ones. We are fully cooperating with authorities as they investigate this tragic incident."
