(ConservativeHub.com) – News media outlets have erupted with the sad news that Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) officer George Gonzalez died after being stabbed at a transit station near the entrance of the Pentagon on Tuesday, August 3. At the time, little was known about the suspect, Austin William Lanz, and initial news reports said he died after being shot by a law enforcement officer at the scene of the crime. However, on Wednesday, a clearer picture of the stabbing incident emerged.
On Wednesday, August 4, FBI officials told members of the media that Lanz, 27, stepped off a bus at about 10:40 a.m. and attacked Gonzalez with a knife “without provocation,” wounding the PFPA officer. “A struggle ensued,” but sadly, officer Gonzalez received a mortal wound during the attack.
The men and women of the #FBI Washington Field Office extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez, who lost his life yesterday serving the American people. pic.twitter.com/3EYmXCjIK6
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) August 4, 2021
Lanz grabbed Gonzalez’s service weapon and shot himself at the Pentagon Transit Center. PFPA officers quickly engaged him, but he “ultimately died at the scene,” according to the FBI.
On April 3, the Associated Press reported law enforcement officials in Cobb County, Georgia, arrested Lanz on burglary and criminal trespass charges. However, he scuffled with deputy sheriffs, and six additional charges were filed against him later that day, including two counts of aggravated battery on a police officer.
Lanz managed to get out of jail a few weeks later after a judge reduced his bond to $30,000 and ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation. Unfortunately, Cobb County officials apparently didn’t realize the potential danger he posed to others.
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