The man who stormed into a Washington, D.C., restaurant with an assault rifle Sunday afternoon told police he was searching for child sex slaves whom he believed to be hidden there, that he was armed to help rescue them, and that he surrendered after he found no evidence of child sex trafficking, according to court records.
Edgar Maddison Welch surrendered peacefully after 45 minutes of searching inside Comet Ping Pong, which had become the site of a viral conspiracy theory tied to Hillary Clinton’s campaign that falsely suggested that the restaurant’s owner and powerful political allies were hiding a child sex trafficking ring. Welch told police he had read about the claims online.
An employee told police that Welch gestured at him with the assault rifle and he fled, according to court documents Monday. Police said Welch fired at least one shot. No one was injured.
Welch, 28, who lives in North Carolina, was ordered held in jail after a Monday court hearing. He faces numerous weapons charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon.
Welch’s actions paralyzed the northwest Washington neighborhood Sunday afternoon, as nearby businesses were told to lock down and police searched for weapons. And it quickly became a symbol of the powerful and dangerous potential impact of rumors and conspiracy theories have taken on during a volatile election.
On Monday, some of Welch’s friends and family said they were struggling to understand how the sweet and caring man they knew could be driven to this.
Welch dabbled in film, writing one short movie and acting in another. He is a father of two young daughters, whom friends said he adored. And he is a religious man, frequently quoting passages from the Bible on his Facebook page.
On his Facebook page, Welch posted affectionate photos with his children, triumphant shots from solo hikes, and a screaming snap from a roller-coaster ride. He attended a community college. Friends said he loved the outdoors, hiking, fishing. He once hiked the Colorado Trail, and his parents told the local newspaper they hoped to one day follow their son in a Winnebago and meet him at trail heads.
He also expressed enthusiasm for conspiracy theories and sites such as “End Times Headlines, news and headlines from a prophetic perspective.”
Police said Welch fired one or more shots – a neighboring business owner said that was apparently to force open a locked door – and was inside Comet Ping Pong for 45 minutes alone before surrendering to police. He was armed with a Colt AR-15 assault rifle, and had a Colt .38 caliber, a shotgun, and a folding knife as well, according to police.
“Maddison is a sweet young man with a big heart,” said Tajuana Tadlock, his aunt. “We are all in shock right now. We are still trying to get our minds around what happened. This is totally out of character for him.
“We are all worried about him. He comes from a family that cares. “We all just want to put our arms around him and ask him, ‘Why baby? What made you this upset? This isn’t you.’ ”
The conspiracy theory, which began shortly before the election after emails were released by WikiLeaks, quickly gained believers on sites such as Reddit, which banned the community in late November, citing its policy against posting the personal information of others.
But another website offered more than $2,500 for proof of underground tunnels within 800 feet of Comet Ping Pong.
“Whatever was going through his mind at the time, I’m sure it had to do with saving lives of children,” said Kathy Sue Holtorf, who worked with Welch on a film.