Man armed with rifle and incendiary devices attacks Washington ICE facility, shot dead in response

Seattle Times

I guess that didn’t go as planned.

A protest outside the federal immigration detention center in Tacoma last year drew headlines when a 68-year-old man wrapped his arms around a police officer’s throat and shoulders in an apparent attempt to free another protester.

When police got the man into handcuffs, they found a collapsible baton and knife in his pocket, leading to criminal charges.

Early Saturday morning, that man, Willem Van Spronsen of Vashon Island, returned to the Northwest Detention Center, the holding facility for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, this time armed with a rifle and incendiary devices, according to Tacoma police.

Police said Van Spronsen tossed lit objects at vehicles and buildings, causing one car fire, and unsuccessfully tried to ignite a propane tank.

Officers were called by an ICE employee who saw the rifle. Soon after they arrived, officers reported “shots fired,” said Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool, although it is unclear who fired first or if Van Spronsen fired at all. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office classified his death as a homicide.

The four responding officers all opened fire and then took cover, uninjured. After medical aid arrived, officers found Van Spronsen dead. He had multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office.

Later, it was reported that a manifesto explaining his attack may be out there. On social media, multiple people praised his actions and wished he caused more damage before he was killed.

What do you think about this incident? Do you think the constant demonization of ICE by certain politicians may have contributed to his decision to attack the facility?

Par for the course.

of course constant demonization by the left is result of it, the guy was also some antifa nutjob so the acts of domestic terrorism are not in the least bit surprising

@ad1x2:

It's too bad he didn't go far.

And do what if he managed to get farther?

Shame he got gunned down. He probably could've gotten subdued with a tackle. Doubt he knew how a gun worked, but you can't really take the chance, I guess.

I doubt words from any politicians inspired this. It was most likely just randoms on the internet who egged this guy on. The people praising this wishing he did actual damage, like the mental midget on post #4, is the most disgusting thing about it.

Well, first of all, a police officers job is not to risk his own life by trying to save the suspect who is armed and could kill not just the officers but civilians and other ICE workers.

Also clearly from the article, he knew how a gun worked not to mention how to use incendiary devices.

But at least it was stopped before he got to do more harm and actually hurt people.

gotta love the monday morning quarterbacks

sounds like an idiot.

whether anti-ICE rhetoric contributed to him this? I'd say yes. that kind of talk usually works on idiots.

Not surprising when such irresponsible anti-immigration rhetoric by our “leader” leads people to view ICE as the Gestapo. Curious that such an incident never happened under Obama either, even though he deported more than Trump.

But I suppose no accountability will be laid at his feet. Unsurprising.

that is quite the mental gymnastics, when you consider the language he used in his manifesto was identical to the terminology used by AOC to fear monger people into thinking these are concentration camps.. he was clearly going on AOCs rhetoric

and obama did deport more, but you never heard the same rhetoric from the media that you hear now, it simply wasnt covered or spoke about until trump got into office and continued enforcing the same policies started by the last bozo, trump didnt create these policies, so do not speak about accountability

also, those people are not immigrants, immigrants are free to live amongst americans and become citizens, they do not try to cheat and steal their way in with total disregard for our laws

Well, there's a story with a happy ending.

Antifa only started rearing its ugly head during 2015, at the end of Obama's presidency and didn't become a thing in the public eye until they started manifesting violently, which happened next year when the MSM knew that reporting leftist violence would put a spoke in their own wheel if it came up during the election talks.

Also, most dems were pro-border control until they could no longer stand the idea that they agreed with one of Trump's main talking points.

Maybe you should read a bit about the corpse, I mean activist who perpetrated such an incident?

thats dems for you though.. they'll be for something one day, againts it the next, then back for it, whichever is the most politically advantageous, its almost like they'll tell anyone what they want to hear to get elected

Of course you never heard the same rhetoric from the media that you hear now, because before Trump we didn't have a president that demonized the majority as criminals, rapists, and drug dealers. Oh yes, "some" are good people, aren't they? We once didn't have a "president" who didn't say shit like "go back to where you came from". Who didn't say shit like "shithole countries".We didn't have one that appealed to the absolute worst in people.

And we certainly didn't have his whiny, bitchy supporters come out in indignation throwing hissy fits acting the poor victim when they're held to accountability for such disgusting rhetoric of their beloved "leader". You have a problem with that? Blame the one you support, and no one else.

It doesn't matter that Trump enforces the same policies, it's the language and the context that does. You people are honestly incredible in your cluelessness. You seem utterly incapable of seeing the difference in approach. If Trump deems to use such caustic and xenophobic rhetoric in labeling immigrants (and no, he nary makes the distinction between legal and illegal) as he does, take some responsibility for his words and the consequences of them and and stop blaming others.

Lol an old nerdy white guy. Never ceases to amaze me the amount of white guilt, self hating liberals that join these groups.

@MirkoS77: Lol I'm sorry but I find his lack of political correctness refreshing. The country's he called shitholes are in fact shitholes. The immigrants who illegally cross the boarder are not usually going to be doctors and lawyers. And he was referring to those who cross the boarder illegally not immigrants in general.

mostly privileged white college kids from the suburbs though.. professional students who have thousands of dollars in student loan debt and never worked a day in their life.. hence their misguided, uneducated support for socialism and their willingness to resort to violence to try to push that ideal onto the rest of us so they dont have to face the consequences of their own actions as adults... imagine if they had to get jobs

@N30F3N1X: did you delete your post?

What do you expect when a large segment of society feels the need to be P.C. with everything?

youre speaking of the edited clip of trump speaking on the topic of MS-13, and they cut that part out and sliced the audio to make it sound like he was calling everyone south of the border rapists and criminals.. yeah, you fell for a fake news story.. keep putting faith in CNN and NBC, go watch the full clip, or dont, and continue believing in a lie that makes most americans laugh to hear repeated.. its really up to you

oh.. and if trump decided to end the obama era policy of separating children from the adults they arrive with, CNN and NBC would be reporting that trump isnt doing enough to keep innocent children out of the hands of rapists and sex traffickers that many do in fact arrive with, and you know damn well thats the conversation you'd be having if it was the case

take your hypocrisy and double standards elsewhere

An edited clip? Spliced the audio?

Yeah, unsurprising to have a Trump supporter tout some conspiratorial bullshit nonsense pushing revisionism to paint him as any less disgusting than he is. I'd honestly respect you people a hell of a lot more if you could actually stop denying reality and simply acknowledge this guy's a piece of shit and say you support him anyway. At least that'd show some integrity and the courage to stand by your convictions.

But when you go to such extents that you claim the above has been cleverly edited, not only does it show that you're downright delusional, but then you have the gall to come out and claim us being taken in by fake news when you are the ones that listen and believe this conman on a regular basis.

Take your snake oil salesman and your delusions in your defense of him elsewhere.