Jamaal Bowman surrenders to police on DC misdemeanor charge for pulling House fire alarm

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) surrendered to police on Thursday morning after the Washington, D.C., attorney general charged him with one count of falsely pulling a fire alarm in a House office building.

Footage taken by Fox News showed Bowman turning himself in to officers early on Thursday after he was charged with violating the D.C. code on Wednesday. On Sept. 30, Bowman pulled the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building ahead of a vote to avoid a government shutdown. He said he was in a rush and thought pulling the alarm would open the door.

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“I admitted that from the very beginning,” Bowman said of pulling the alarm. “Gotta take responsibility for it. We have a deal in place, so looking forward to paying the fine, and three months later it being dismissed, and hopefully, continuing to do work in my district.”

“Due to the defendant’s actions, the Cannon House Office Building was evacuated for approximately 1 1/2 hours,” the filing read.

“When the defendant pulled the emergency fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building, located at 25 Independence Avenue, SE in the District of Columbia at approximately 12:04 pm on September 30, 2023, there was no fire at that location,” the court filing continued. “Therefore, based upon the evidence, this affiant has probable cause to believe that the defendant willfully or knowingly gave a false fire alarm within the District of Columbia, in violation of D.C. Code 22-1319(a).”

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Bowman had thanked D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb for a “quick resolution” and the Capitol Police General Counsel’s office for agreeing that “I did not obstruct nor intend to obstruct any House vote or proceedings.”

“I think we all know that Republicans will attempt to use this to distract everyone from their mess, but I look forward to putting this behind me and to continue working hard to deliver for New Yorkers,” he said in a statement.