Jamaal Bowman To Plead Guilty After Pulling Fire Alarm in House Office Building
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Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) will plead guilty after he pulled a fire alarm in a House of Representatives office building as a government shutdown threat loomed last month.
The New York lawmaker is being charged on a misdemeanor count for pulling a fire alarm, which carries up to six months in jail. On Sept 30th. camera footage captured Bowman pulling the alarm as the House sought to pass a resolution to keep the government open.
Due to the alarm’s activation, the Cannon Office building on Capitol Hill was evacuated, resulting in a police investigation. Capitol Police ultimately presented an arrest warrant to the D.C. attorney general, according to NBC News.
“Our agents gathered all the evidence, packaged it up, and sent the entire case with charges to prosecutors for their consideration,” Capitol Police said in a statement. Bowman has been ordered to be arraigned for Thursday morning.
Per NBC News:
Bowman, according to the arrest warrant, the agents that he saw the nearby doors with a sign reading “emergency exit only push to open,” so he pushed on the door and pulled the lever next to it, which must have been the alarm.”
“[Bowman] advised that usually when votes are called, all doors are open, and that door is usually open (the second floor door leading to Independence Ave). The defendant further stated that this door was a usual door he uses. The defendant advised that he then went to a Dem (Democratic) meeting and a vote at the Capitol, then the House Sergeant at Arms contacted him,” the warrant states.
Bowman told the agent that he didn’t intend to cause a fire alarm and didn’t intend to disrupt or obstruct a Congressional proceeding, then stated that he needed to get a lawyer and wouldn’t make any further statements.
At the time the event occurred, Bowman’s spokesperson issued a statement that was widely mocked on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating “Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote. The Congressman regrets any confusion.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Bowman agreed to pay the maximum fine of $1,000 and will provide a formal apology to D.C. police.
“I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped,” the lawmaker said in a statement.
