U.S. Attorneys Office: No explosives found after raid in Winston-Salem

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Agents from multiple federal agencies raided a home on Wednesday night to search for possible explosives. 

The FBI, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Winston-Salem police conducted a raid at 416 Sprague Street on Tuesday night.

Authorities blocked off the 400 block of Sprague Street near the intersection of Vargrave Street and Southside Baptist Church for three hours as a law enforcement helicopter, several fire trucks and ambulances were called to the scene.

Federal agents told neighbors they were going into the home to disarm a bomb and grenades.

The US Attorney’s Office later confirmed that despite several suspicious packages at the property, nothing at the property was found to be incendiary.

Tammy Jackson who lives in the area said, “all hell broke loose. It looked like something straight out of a movie.”

Jackson said she heard a boom like a bomb going off after 8 p.m.

The homeowner’s son Ishmael Roman said that the explosion was a flash grenade. Used when police entered the house through the kitchen where his sister-in-law was cooking dinner.

Roman said agents detained his father Ramiro Roman but did not arrest him. However, the US Attorney’s office in Greensboro said no one was arrested at Sprague Street.

When asked if an arrest was made somewhere else related to the raid, the spokeswoman only said it would be incorrect to say no one was arrested at all. 

Ishmael Roman said the family was upset and confused over the whole event. His father has since been to see a lawyer to see what recourse he had against law enforcement.