Herndon evacuations & closures could last through the night, Capt. warns

Captain of Herndon Police Department, Steve PihonakPhoto byHPD / Watchful Eye

Approximately 20 households near the 200 block of Herndon Station Square have been evacuated and sites in the surrounding area are closed due to a discovery made this morning while executing a search warrant. And Herndon Police Department is advising individuals impacted by that to make preparations.

At a press conference this evening, Captain Steve Pihonak said there’s no timeframe for residents to return. It’s going to be a long, slow, meticulous process, he said, adding that authorities are expecting to be working the scene through the night.

The captain didn’t go into detail about what was found in the residence where they arrested Steven Timothy Kyle. But he said, after Kyle was in custody, while police were searching for items related to the arrest, they found unrelated items.

“They said, let’s pause, back out, and call the right people to come in and help us,” Pihonik explained. Those people included Fairfax County Bomb Squad, Fairfax County Fire Department, and ATF Washington.

“It’s serious enough that that’s why we’ve closed the area all around,” he added.

All the regional partners are working together to resolve this as quickly and safely as we can.

As of the press conference, Pihonak did not expect additional areas be closed or evacuated. “We think we have it confined to a safe area, right there,” he told the press.

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