Investigators said they have no idea why he picked Wytheville, but ten hours later they’re glad he’s gone.
The FBI expects to charge Warren A. Taylor, nicknamed “Gator,“ with several federal crimes. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on Christmas Eve morning at U.S. District Court in Roanoke.
Taylor, confined to a wheelchair, is accused of going into the post office in downtown Wytheville around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, firing at least three shots through a window, and taking three hostages.
Taylor held the three people for the better part of the next eight hours as SWAT teams watched outside, an armored police vehicle arrived on scene, and a military helicopter waited on stand-by at a nearby parking lot.
Several officers and FBI agents made contact with Taylor.
At one point, Taylor ordered pizzas for himself and his alleged hostages, joking with one negotiator that if it arrived in more than 30 minutes, he would get them for free.
At around 11 p.m., something happened.
The three hostages walked out of the front door one at a time with their hands up. None of them were hurt.
Taylor followed several minutes later, rolling his wheelchair first through the front door and then out into the street.
A state police robot checked Taylor for weapons and bombs.
Investigators said Taylor at threatened several eyewitnesses with powerful C-4 explosives before taking hostages.
Taylor then laid face down on the ground.
The state police armored vehicle covered SWAT officers as they moved in for the arrest.
It was finally over.
Federal authorities took Taylor to the Roanoke City Jail.
Taylor is registered sex offender with a Bristol, Tennessee address.
The state’s sex offender registry reads Taylor’s conviction stems from an incident in 1991.
Investigators said they have no idea why Taylor picked the Wytheville post office, or for that matter, if he had ever sat foot in Wytheville before.
To see our extended coverage as the story developed, click here.
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