FBI Standoff Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Richard William Durant III made his first federal court appearance Thursday

The man accused of breaking into the FBI’s San Diego headquarters and damaging a government vehicle has pleaded not guilty in the incident.

Lakeside resident Richard William Durant III made his first appearance in federal court Thursday afternoon after he was appointed federal defenders.

The prosecution requested that Durant stay in detention because they say he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.

The 36-year-old Durant was arrested Sunday after a nearly six-hour standoff with police.

The FBI alleges that Durant jumped over a fence at the agency’s Sorrento Valley facility, broke off a U-shaped door handle and smashed a government vehicle’s window with it.

The suspect then climbed onto the roof of a one-story annex, where he stayed for hours.

Toward the end of the incident, agents said Durant started a fire in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning unit that connects to the FBI’s main building. Soon after, he was taken into custody and taken to the Alvarado Parkway Institute for evaluation.

Durant has been charged with one count of destruction of government property, according to an FBI complaint. He has since been booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

He will appear in court on Tuesday afternoon for a detention hearing.

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