Rep. Jamaal Bowman to plead guilty to misdemeanor for pulling fire alarm in a Capitol building
Rep. Jamaal Bowman to plead guilty to misdemeanor for pulling fire alarm in a Capitol building
The alarm was set off Sept. 30 in the Cannon office building last month as Republicans sought to initiate voting on a spending measure to keep the government open.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., indicated Wednesday that he will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge over pulling a fire alarm in a congressional building on Capitol Hill last month.
Bowman has agreed to pay the maximum fine of $1,000 for one misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm — a charge that carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. He will also provide a formal apology to Capitol 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," Bowman said in a statement Wednesday.
Really uncool move. It's crazy how people pull stunts like this. It also frustrates me seeing this type of behavior from people in positions of authority.
I mean, he did it by accident in a building entirely separate from the voting. This whole thing is just another case of republicans blowing things way out of proportion for their benefit.
Basically, propaganda.
Also he voted FOR the bill they accused him of trying to sabotage.
I haven't seen the security footage myself, but the article indicates he had an opportunity to tell uniformed officers that he accidentally pulled the alarm but chose not to. It seems like something he did out of frustration, not incompetence. Of course it's impossible to prove intent, but the choice to not report it or explain the situation can't be overlooked. "It's not the crime, it's the cover up."
In a charging affidavit released Wednesday, an investigator said he had reviewed security camera footage and that Bowman can be seen pushing multiple doors that would not open before he looked at the emergency fire alarm pull station "and upon seeing it, he reached out and pulled the fire alarm down."
Bowman can also be seen "jogging" as he exits the building and does not stop to say anything to uniformed officers he passes as he enters the Capitol minutes later, according to the affidavit. It also said the building was evacuated for about 90 minutes before it was reopened after no threat was identified.
You know I agree with you. It would be just swell if these people could just do the work and perform honorably.
On the other hand if I was this guy and seeing the shit going down on the other side. Not saying it’s right, but I’d tell them to suck my dick and prove it was me. ( I know there’s video and I’d still walk that line).
This shit is very frustrating.
He did it to stop the Republicans from forcing a vote on the budget without allowing anyone enough time to actually read it.
Equal opportunity: If the punishment is a fine, it's only illegal for poor people.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., indicated Wednesday that he will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge over pulling a fire alarm in a congressional building on Capitol Hill last month.
“I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped," Bowman said in a statement Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the D.C. Attorney General's Office said in a separate statement that Bowman "is pleading guilty and has agreed to pay the maximum fine."
The alarm was set off Sept. 30 in the Cannon House Office Building as Republican lawmakers sought to kickoff a vote on a spending measure to keep the government open.
In a statement Wednesday, Capitol Police said the investigation was complete and a probable cause arrest warrant had been submitted to the D.C. Attorney General's Office.
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who serves as secretary for the House Republican conference, wrote on X that she planned to introduce a resolution to censure Bowman and remove him from all committee assignments for the remainder of the 118th Congress for activating the alarm.
The original article contains 577 words, the summary contains 184 words. Saved 68%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Lol, k
Well, it wasn't a mistake.
Weird.
I thought people stopped pulling the fire alarm in like 7th grade.
He didn't pull a red handle fore alarm like you see on a wall. He opened a door that is hooked up to a fire alarm. He claimed the door ir usually wide open and he had no idea that openeing the door would set of an alarm.
i read this quote further down the thread:
In a charging affidavit released Wednesday, an investigator said he had reviewed security camera footage and that Bowman can be seen pushing multiple doors that would not open before he looked at the emergency fire alarm pull station “and upon seeing it, he reached out and pulled the fire alarm down.”
seems like he was pissed off that he couldn’t exit the building so pulled the fire alarm to release the doors
Um, yeah, he did pull a fire alarm like you see on a wall. Then he ran instead of apologizing for it. A former principal should know a thing or two about fire alarms.