Court documents state that technicians found a “large cache of homemade destructive devices” in the tent.
WASHINGTON — Court documents are giving new insight into the arrest of a man accused of having a tent of explosives on the steps of a high-profile D.C. cathedral last weekend.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Louis Geri, 41, had set up a tent on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew’s the Apostle on Rhode Island Avenue Northwest and refused to leave Sunday morning.
Court documents, obtained by WUSA9, show MPD officers were helping clear the block of a special religious event at the cathedral when one officer noticed Geri on the top of the steps shortly before 5:15 a.m.
The officer reportedly told Geri that he needed to move the tent he had erected on the stairs off church grounds. That is when Geri allegedly refused and told the officer, “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives/bombs.”
A sergeant came to help and told Geri she was with the bomb squad. Court documents describe Geri as sounding “agitated” as he spoke through the tent. When the sergeant told Geri there was going to be an event and they needed him to move, he allegedly admitted that he was aware of the event before threatening to throw an explosive out of the tent.
“Do you want me to throw one out,” Geri is quoted as saying in the court documents. “I’ll test one out in the street? I have a hundred plus of them. If you just step back, I’ll throw one in the street, no one will get hurt, there will be a hole in the street… If you just step back, I’ll take out that tree. No one will get hurt, there will just be a hole where that tree used to be.”
The officers then explained to Geri that if he did not leave, he would be removed against his will. To which, he allegedly said, “… several of your people are going to die from one of these.”
While trying to de-escalate the situation, the sergeant agreed to look at something Geri had written. Upon opening the tent, the sergeant reportedly saw a butane light in Geri’s hand and several pages of torn-out notebook paper with writing on it.
The paperwork was reportedly titled “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives.” It allegedly revealed Geri’s significant animosity towards the Catholic church, members of the Jewish faith, members of SCOTUS and ICE/ ICE facilities.
After allegedly confirming he had explosives on him, court documents state Geri ignited a butane lighter and said “…you better have these people step away or there’s going to be deaths, I’m telling you now!”
The officer and sergeant stepped back from the tent and notified the surrounding officers and command staff.
Officers then learned Geri had reportedly been barred from the church on Sept. 26 after setting up a tent on the church steps.
Geri was later reportedly apprehended after stepping away from his tent to a nearby wooded area to urinate. Officers say he resisted arrest and tried to pull away but was eventually put into handcuffs.
Court documents state that technicians found a “large cache of homemade destructive devices” in the tent.
Geri has been charged with unlawful entry, manufacture, transfer, use, possession or transportation of Molotov cocktails, or other explosives for unlawful purposes, threats to kidnap or injure a person, assault on police officer x 2, possession of destructive device, manufacture or possession of weapon of mass destruction (hate crime) and resisting arrest.