Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty in Capitol Gun Scare

Larry Russell Dawson, 67, of Antioch, Tenn., pleaded guilty today to assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon during a violent confrontation at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on March 28, 2016. The incident unfolded in seconds, turning a routine security screening into a life-threatening standoff that ended with Dawson being shot by Capitol Police.

At approximately 2:37 p.m., Dawson entered the north security screening area, placed his belongings in a tray, and walked through a metal detector. When alarms sounded at waist level, officers ordered him to rescreen. After repeated detection, a Capitol Police officer used a hand-held scanner, which again flagged metal near Dawson’s right waistband. Without warning, Dawson reached into his waistband and pulled out what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun—later identified as a Daisy spring-loaded BB gun.

Dawson raised his left hand as a barrier and seized the officer’s hand-held metal detector, yanking it away before hurling it across the floor. Moments later, he turned and pointed the BB gun directly at the officer who had screened him. Despite repeated commands from multiple officers to drop the weapon and raise his hands, Dawson advanced, forcing one officer to open fire. Lockdown procedures immediately sealed the facility as officers apprehended and subdued him.

Under federal law, imitation firearms qualify as dangerous weapons when used to threaten or resist law enforcement. The BB gun Dawson brandished matched the color, shape, weight, and appearance of a real handgun, making it indistinguishable in the moment. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Mobile Crime Unit collected the weapon as evidence, confirming it fired non-lethal projectiles but posed a credible lethal threat.

Dawson has remained in custody since his arrest the day of the incident. In addition to the federal charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon—carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties—he also pleaded guilty to a second charge: failing to appear in D.C. Superior Court. That charge stems from a prior October 22, 2015 arrest, when Dawson allegedly disrupted Congress and was charged with assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. He skipped a December 8, 2015 hearing, violating court orders.

Sentencing for both offenses is scheduled for February 24, 2017, before U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg. Under federal guidelines, the weapons charge carries a likely prison term of eight to 14 months and a fine of up to $40,000. The D.C. offense of failing to appear is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and additional fines. U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and U.S. Capitol Police Chief Matthew R. Verderosa confirmed the plea, underscoring the severity of threats against federal law enforcement on protected grounds.

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