Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman was charged Wednesday with a misdemeanor for setting off a fire alarm as lawmakers scrambled to pass a funding bill ahead of the September government shutdown deadline.
He is expected to plead guilty, formally apologize and pay a $1,000 fine. The alarm prompted the evacuation of the House office building. It reopened an hour later after Capitol Police determined it was not a threat.
The New York congressman acknowledged sounding the alarm and told reporters within hours it was a mistake. He said he was rushing to vote and tried to get through a door that was usually open but closed for the weekend.
As they evacuate, House Democrats are working to delay a vote on an appropriations bill to keep federal agencies open. They have said they need time to review a bill suddenly released by Republicans to avoid a government shutdown.
A spokesman for the District of Columbia Attorney General’s Office said Bowman was “treated like other offenders” and agreed to pay the maximum fine.
Bowman told police he did not intend to sound the alarm or disrupt any congressional proceedings, court documents show. He said he didn’t immediately tell anyone about the sirens because he was anxious to vote.
Under an agreement with the attorney general in Washington, D.C., the charge will be dropped within three months if the member of Congress formally apologizes to Capitol Police and pays a $1,000 fine.
“I am grateful to the District of Columbia Attorney General’s Office for their prompt resolution of this matter and to the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. Capitol Police for agreeing that I did not impede and did not intend to impede any House vote or proceeding,” Bowman said in a statement. Statement sent by email. “I was responsible for activating the fire alarm and I will pay the fine and look forward to the eventual dismissal of these charges.”
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