Man with Guns, Explosives Arrested at UK’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital

Bryan Carroll is facing 14 charges, including four counts of third-degree use of a weapon of mass destruction.

March 29, 2021 Amy Rock Jump to Comments

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A man was arrested Thursday after police said he brought guns, body armor and bombs to the University of Kentucky’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital.

UK Police Chief Joe Monroe said they received a tip from another law enforcement agency that 44-year-old Bryan Carroll was on his way to visit a relative at the hospital and should be considered armed and dangerous, reports Beckers Hospital Review. Police found Carroll as he was leaving the hospital and took him into custody.

According to arrest records, Carroll was wearing body armor and carrying two handguns. Responding officers saw two long guns and a large amount of ammunition in his back seat, along with a suspicious-looking item that resembled an improvised explosive device. After searching the suspect’s vehicle, the Lexington Police Department’s bomb detection unit found four IEDs and three more handguns inside the car.

FBI and ATF agents were also at the scene assisting local law enforcement, along with multiple EMS and firefighters and a bomb disposal robot.

The situation caused several roads in the area to be blocked off and the hospital’s emergency wing was closed for several hours as law enforcement worked to clear the scene. Police advised commuters to avoid the area near the hospital ER but said activities in other areas on campus could resume.

The FBI and ATF searched Carroll’s home on Friday and found explosive materials. Officials conducted controlled explosions, forcing neighboring homes to evacuate.

Carroll is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center where he is facing several charges, including five charges of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, four counts of third-degree use of a weapon of mass destruction, one count of resisting arrest, one count of second-degree fleeing or evading police, one count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon on school property and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. He was appointed a public defender and placed on the court docket to return on April 1.

Carroll has a criminal history and has been accused of domestic violence several times in the past two decades, including a 2009 conviction and a 2019 case that was dismissed, according to The Courier-Journal. Kidnapping charges in a 2014 criminal case against Carroll were reduced to fourth-degree domestic violence assault charges the following year after the defendant said she did not want Carroll to go to jail.

On Friday, Chief Monroe said security cameras across the UK campus were instrumental in Carroll’s arrest, reports WKYT. He said perimeter cameras helped authorities locate Carroll and they were able to follow his vehicle after locating it. There are more than 3,000 cameras installed campus-wide.

“We’ve really put an emphasis on cameras. It’s now become a standard in our development of new buildings, part of the planning process that it has to have access control and cameras built into that process,” he said.

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About the Author

Amy Rock, Executive Editor

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Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.

Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.