(DOTHAN, Ala.) On September 10, 2025, just after 10:30 am, the Dothan Communications Center received a call from a man in the 400 block of East Cottonwood Road claiming a large number of federal agents were surrounding him and requesting assistance. When officers arrived on the scene, they made contact with the suspect who was clearly suffering from a mental health crisis. In early conversations, the suspect claimed he had explosives that were active, which was verified by officers on scene. The Special Response Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, and the Bomb Squad all were called to the scene.
A crisis negotiator made contact to begin negotiations with the suspect. After a period of time, the suspect came outside the home and was apprehended using a bean-bag shotgun. As the suspect was taken into custody, one of the homemade explosive devices, a makeshift grenade, was found close to where the suspect fell. Officers immediately evacuated the area and got the suspect to a safe location. Members of the Bomb Team secured the explosive device. Statements made by the suspect led the Bomb Team to perform a safety sweep of the suspect’s residence, after a search warrant was signed, to make the scene safe from any other explosive devices. No more explosive devices were discovered. The suspect was taken to a local hospital for mental evaluation and was admitted for treatment. Criminal charges are expected.
No businesses in the area were close enough to be in danger from the explosive devices. Dothan Prep Academy and a close-by daycare were placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution because of the high level of police presence. The safety of our citizens is the utmost importance. The decision to evacuate residents or have them shelter in place comes after consultation with certified explosives technicians on our Bomb Team trained in blast radius estimation. We want to thank all the residents in the area for their cooperation while the incident unfolded. We are thankful there were no serious injuries to officers or residents in the area.
-Chief William E. Benny
###