Investigators found three handguns, two rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition while searching a house in Southeast Washington a day after three D.C. police officers were shot at the start of an armed standoff earlier this week, authorities said Friday.
Authorities said they had gone to the home Wednesday morning but the man refused to come out. Police said he started shooting as police forced the front door partially open and were confronted by dogs. A police spokesman said an officer fired during this initial encounter, but would not say whether that officer was one of the three who were wounded. The man was not injured.
Police arrested a suspect after a 13-hour standoff at the house on charges that include assault with intent to kill, assault on police officers and cruelty to animals. In court, the man said his name was Julius James. Police had initially identified him as such and said he was 46 years old. The U.S. attorney’s office filed criminal charges under a different name — Stephen C. Rattigan — and authorities said he was 48.
James’s attorney argued in court Thursday that his client needed a mental health exam, and said he had fired warning shots and did not know who was coming into the house. Prosecutors rejected that assertion. An arrest affidavit says James told police negotiators that he was afraid police would kill his dogs.
That arrest affidavit, filed in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning, said police had found one disassembled firearm in a second-floor bedroom. Police said Friday that a more extensive search later revealed the additional guns, along with ammunition and a bullet-resistant vest.
The Humane Rescue Alliance took possession of the dogs, 20 adults and 11 puppies, which they said appeared to be American Bullies. An official with the rescue group said staffers identified “injuries associated with [the dogs] fighting among each other.”
