The Federal Bureau of Investigation disclosed the identity of the man that stabbed and killed a police officer outside of the Pentagon earlier in the Week. The FBI identified the man as a former U.S. Marine who had recently been arrested and criminally charged in Georgia.
The perpetrator, 27-year-old Austin William Lanz from Acworth, Georgia, had fatally stabbed 37-year-old police officer George Gonzales without provocation Tuesday. He reportedly exited a but at the Pentagon Transit Center.
According to the FBI, Lanz had engaged in a shootout with responding officers before shooting himself using Gonzales' service firearm.
U.S. Marine spokesperson, Major Jim Stegner, said Lanz had joined the Marin Corps in 2012. He was then "administratively separated" from the corps just a month later. Stegner did not elaborate on the circumstances of his departure.
Georgia court records showed that Lanz was arrested in Atlanta for criminal trespassing and burglary. He also faced six additional charges. Lanz reportedly broke into a private residence in Atlanta and was caught on camera leaving "inappropriate photos and notes." While he was in detention, Lanz reportedly attacked two deputies, seriously injured one, and dislocating the other deputy's thumb.
27-year-old Austin Lanz was out on bail after a burglary in Georgia and an assaults on cops before he was accused of killing a Pentagon Police officer. READ: https://t.co/hPJr992Pkl pic.twitter.com/5ioV5Su5v1 — 7News DC (@7NewsDC) August 4, 2021
Court records listed a series of offenses against uniformed officers, including him challenging deputies to fights and throwing racial and homophobic slurs. He reportedly had to be restrained multiple times due to his violent behavior.
The Cobb County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they had held Lanz at their detention center but stopped short of providing any other details.
The killing of the police officer had placed the Pentagon building on lockdown for nearly two hours. A civilian bystander was reportedly injured because of the altercation. The FBI said the civilian is now doing fine and has been released from the hospital.
Pentagon Force Protection Agency chief, Woodrow Kusse, said the incident is situation is now under control and there is no further threat to the community. The FBI said it is still conducting further investigations into the matter.
Gonzales had served as an officer for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency since 2018. He formerly served with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the United States Army, and the Transportation Security Administration before joining the Pentagon police force.
