A civilian was arrested after allegedly breaching MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and violently confronting officers who responded.
The 6th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office told Our News Outlet that the unauthorized individual crossed the perimeter of the Tampa installation at about 1 p.m. Saturday.
According to the statement, the person “violently engaged” with responding police before being taken into custody.
Officials said both individuals suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported for medical treatment.
Authorities have not identified the arrested person or released additional information about the confrontation.
MacDill, which hosts the headquarters of US Central Command, has more than 7,400 active-duty military personnel stationed there.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, MacDill Air Force Base announced on Facebook that the Dale Mabry Gate was “currently closed to inbound and outbound traffic until further notice.” The public was urged to avoid the area.
The base said the Bayshore Gate remained open and that additional information would be released when available. The incident remains under investigation.
A civilian was arrested after allegedly breaching MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, home to US Central Command, at about 1 p.m. Saturday
MacDill officials said the Dale Mabry Gate, shown in March, was “currently closed to inbound and outbound traffic until further notice” following Saturday’s incident
The Dale Mabry Gate is typically open around the clock every day of the week, according to MacDill Air Force Base.
By contrast, the Bayshore Gate is generally closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
MacDill is home to US Central Command, which is overseeing operations against Iran.
The base’s public calendar listed just one Saturday event: a fall festival at the library scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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There is no evidence that Saturday’s confrontation or the arrest was connected to the festival.
The latest incident follows other security concerns at MacDill this year. On March 10, Alen Zheng, 20, was charged with attempting to detonate an improvised explosive device at the base’s visitor center.
Zheng, who is from Land O’Lakes, was unable to activate the device, which law enforcement later safely disassembled.
The visitor center is also located near the Dale Mabry entrance gate.
MacDill Air Force Base was evacuated in March after a caller referred to a recent attempt to detonate an explosive device at the visitor center
Ann Mary Zheng, 27, was accused in March of helping her brother, 20-year-old Alan Zheng, escape after he allegedly tried to detonate the improvised explosive
An investigation into the incident at the base is ongoing. No details have been revealed about the assailant’s identity or motives
Zheng’s sister, 27-year-old Ann Mary Zheng, was also charged by federal authorities for allegedly helping her brother avoid capture.
He is believed to currently be in China.
Eight days after Zheng allegedly attempted to set off the explosive, 35-year-old Jonathan James Elder allegedly called MacDill Air Force Base and asked: ‘How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitor Center?’
‘Tick tick boom,’ he yelled, according to a complaint cited by the US Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida. ‘It’s gonna be between your eyes.’
The threat caused the base’s gates to close and forced on-base personnel to shelter in place for roughly four hours.
Other than US Central Command, MacDill also serves as the headquarters for US Special Operations Command and the Special Operations Command Central, as well as Marine Corps Forces Central Command.
