A Washington, D.C. man has admitted to causing an explosion at Bingo World in Brooklyn Park, Maryland, sending shrapnel more than 30 feet in all directions and injuring eight people.
Andre Richardson, 42, pleaded guilty in Anne Arundel County Court on Friday to one count of felony use of a destructive device, the Capital Gazette reported. He initially faced 14 charges related to the July 5 incident.
Richardson, a moving company worker, was arrested in late August after he was identified on security footage at a bingo hall.
terror blast
Footage shows him placing something between two electronic bingo machines and making several attempts to light them up. He then stood up and left the area. A small puff of smoke appeared, followed by an explosion.
No one was killed in the blast, but two people were injured and required urgent hospital treatment. Six others suffered minor injuries, according to court documents. Three bingo machines estimated to be worth $7,000 each were damaged.
Security cameras captured the suspect exiting the facility and driving away, but his license plate was not captured.
But investigators found that Richardson was easily recognizable because he wore distinctive gold-rimmed glasses and a T-shirt with the logo of the local moving company he worked for.
"Extreme Threat"
At a bail hearing in October, Judge Glenn L. Klavens described Richardson as an “extreme threat” to public safety. That was after state attorneys said his actions "intimidated" bingo parlor patrons, the Gazette reported.
Richardson's attorney, public defender Denis O'Connell, described the incident as a "moment of indecisiveness" and suggested that the unspecified explosive device in media reports was a "firecracker."
Richardson's motive for triggering the blast is unclear. At a sentencing hearing scheduled for July 13, he faces up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Bingo Worlds is one of three licensed commercial bingo operators in Anne Arundel County. In August, just weeks after the blast, it opened BetRivers sportsbook and lounge, becoming the first non-casino facility to offer sports betting.
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