TACOMA, Wash. — Video released Thursday shows a car exploding and the sound of gunfire during an attack at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma last month.
The attack occurred around 4 a.m. on July 13. The facility is a privately run U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention center that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings.
Four officers responded to the detention facility after an employee reported a man, later identified as 69-year-old Willem Van Sponsen, outside armed with a rifle, according to the Tacoma Police Department.
In the video, you can hear officers yelling to Van Sponsen before a hail of gunfire. Van Sponsen was shot and killed when all four officers opened fire.
Police said Van Sponsen was armed with a rifle and was throwing “incendiary devices” at vehicles and buildings. Along with a rifle, police said Van Sponsen was wearing a satchel, had flares, and attempted to ignite a large propane tank.
No officers were injured.
“This video footage shows the seriousness of the threat to our employees and immigrants housed at the Tacoma Processing Center. We commend the Tacoma Police Department for its heroic actions in responding to this horrific act of terrorism,” the GEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center, said in a statement.
The GEO Group said they have operated the processing facility for more than 20 years.
