A man was arrested in Arlington Tuesday after witnesses said he showed them a gun and ammunition and made threatening comments about harming people he knew, police said. After searching his home, police said they found two pipe bombs and had to call a bomb squad for assistance.
Ryan Bosnick, 34, of Arlington, was arrested and charged with two counts of possession of explosive materials or devices, possession of a sawed-off shotgun and threats of death or bodily injury to a person.
At approximately 7:47 p.m. on Monday, Arlington County police were dispatched to the 1000 block of N. Filmore Street for the report of an individual making threats.
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Two people told police that they were eating at a Clarendon restaurant when the suspect, who they did not know, struck up a conversation and joined them for drinks. At one point, police said he opened his backpack and showed the witnesses the contents: a sawed off shotgun and bag of ammunition.
While they talked, Bosnick allegedly made threatening statements to hurt people he knew.
The witnesses reported what had happened and officers investigated.
“They'followed their instinct. They knew that this was concerning, and they brought it to law enforcement's attention,” Ashley Savage, of the Arlington County Police Department, said.
Police said they later spoke to a “female victim who was one of the targets of his threats. The victim revealed the suspect had also been sending her threatening text messages.”
On Tuesday, Bosnick was arrested while walking in the area of Fairfax Drive and N. Stuart Street. Officers said they searched his home and found a homemade sawed-off shotgun and two improvised explosive devices (commonly known as pipe bombs), prompting them to call the Arlington County Fire Department’s bomb squad to assist with their removal.
There is no active threat to the public. Federal authorities from the FBI Washington Field Office also responded to the scene and it remains an active joint criminal investigation.
Anyone with information related to this incident or the suspect is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Tip Line at ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us, or anonymously to the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
