Man Charged Following Standoff Near Tysons Corner

A McLean, Va., man is facing multiple fire-related charges after barricading himself inside his home for nearly eight hours.

Officers were called to a ninth-floor home in the Rotunda condominium complex in Tysons Corner for a noise complaint around 2 a.m. Tuesday, where police say 62-year-old Michael Gordon threatened to shoot responding officers through the door.

The officers pulled back and became concerned about a suspicious smell, believing it could be a flammable liquid. That led to the evacuation of three floors of the building. Residents not relocated were told to shelter in place.

SWAT teams, negotiators and a bomb squad also responded.

About 9:30 a.m., officers smelled something that could have been smoke, so they entered the apartment and took Gordon into custody.

"The officers were at the door, negotiating, and they were forced to make entry," said a police spokesperson. "They did smell something, possibly smoke, that prompted their entry... so he did not go voluntarily."

No one was injured, but Gordon was taken to a hospital for evaluation. There was no active fire inside the apartment, authorities said.

Two dogs in the apartment were taken by Animal Control.

The evacuated residents were taken to a nearby community center, News4's Melissa Mollet reported. They were later allowed back inside. Authorities reopened nearby roads shortly before 11 a.m.

Gordon was charged with burning an occupied building, threat to burn or damage a building and setting a fire capable of spreading.

Damages from several fires in the apartment caused an estimated $10,000 in damage.

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