On a Tuesday morning at the Pentagon's bustling transit center in Arlington, Virginia, an act of sudden and unprovoked violence led to the death of 37-year-old Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez. On August 3, 2021, Gonzalez, a male U.S. Army veteran and a three-year member of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, was fatally stabbed in the neck. The attack occurred around 10:30 a.m.
on a bus platform.
The assailant, identified as 27-year-old Austin William Lanz of Georgia, had just exited a bus when he ran at Officer Gonzalez and attacked him with a knife. A struggle ensued, during which Lanz managed to take Gonzalez's service weapon. Responding officers engaged Lanz, who was subsequently shot and killed at the scene. Some reports indicate that Lanz used the officer's weapon to shoot himself. Officer Gonzalez was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The motive for Lanz's attack remains unclear. Investigations revealed that Lanz had a history of criminal charges in Georgia, including aggravated battery on police, making a terrorist threat, and rioting in a penal institution. He had been released on bond with the condition that he undergo a mental health evaluation. Lanz had also enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2012 but was administratively separated less than a month later. The FBI led the investigation into the attack, stating there was no ongoing threat to the public.
