FBI Pittsburgh ramming suspect quoted Lincoln assassin during confession, special agent says

The suspect accused of ramming a car into a metal gate at the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office quoted Abraham Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth during his confession, a special agent revealed in a criminal complaint. 

The incident allegedly carried out early Wednesday by Donald Henson of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, has been described by authorities as an intentional "act of terror." 

"DONALD PHILLIP HENSON was later apprehended by law enforcement and admitted to the FBI that he rammed the Sidney Street Gate to ‘make a statement.’ He stated, ‘Sic semper tyrannis,’ which is a Latin phrase meaning ‘thus always to tyrants,'" FBI Special Agent in Charge Sarah Esposito wrote in a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"It is famously associated with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, who is said to have shouted the phrase after shooting the president," the agent added. 

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Donald Henson, identified by the FBI as the suspect who rammed a vehicle into a security gate at its Pittsburgh field office on Sept. 17, 2025. (FBI)

The criminal complaint says authorities are charging Henson with damaging government property or contracts and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees. 

It said that around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, a 2022 white Toyota Corolla registered to Henson rammed into one of two gates securing the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, causing "significant damage to the gate." 

"The FBI preliminarily estimates that it will cost significantly more than $1,000 to repair the damage or replace the gate," Esposito said. "In addition, the impact created a gap in the Sidney Street Gate that could have permitted an individual to circumvent FBI security measures and enter the FBI facility." 

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A white sedan is seen lodged against the bent security gate outside the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (KDKA)

"After the impact, the driver of the vehicle (later identified to be DONALD PHILLIP HENSON) exited the vehicle and walked toward the driver’s side rear door. HENSON opened the rear door of the vehicle and retrieved an American flag," she also wrote. "He placed the American flag on the damaged gate and walked away from the FBI facility." 

No FBI personnel were hurt in the incident. 

FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said at a news briefing that Henson had recently visited the Pittsburgh office. 

A white sedan is seen after crashing into a gate at the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, Sept. 17, 2025. Officials said the driver fled the scene. (KDKA)

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"In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn't make a whole lot of sense," Giordano said. "We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn't have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn't a federal offense that we were able to charge." 

Fox News' Michael Dorgan and Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.