Close Call: DC Police Arrest Man In Possession Of Molotov Cocktail Outside Of Church Where Supreme Justices Were Set To Be Present

This was a close call.

DC police arrested a man outside of the Washington D.C. cathedral hours before Supreme Court Justices and government officials were set to attend a service.

Authorities arrested Louis Geri of New Jersey after he set up a tent outside of the cathedral and refused to leave,

After conducting a search of Geri’s tent police discovered a Molotov cocktail in his possession.

The Daily Caller reported more on the arrest:

Police arrested a New Jersey man Sunday morning after finding a Molotov cocktail in his tent outside a Washington, D.C. cathedral hours before a service attended by Supreme Court justices and government officials.

Louis Geri, 41, of Vineland, set up camp on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew’s The Apostle and refused orders to leave around 6 a.m., the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said. Officers said they discovered vials of liquid and possible fireworks during his arrest.

Authorities charged Geri with unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person and possession of a Molotov cocktail. Police said the cathedral had previously banned him from the property but did not explain why.

The Red Mass began three hours later at 9 a.m. The annual service brings together Supreme Court justices, judges and attorneys to mark the start of the court’s term. The tradition has continued in Washington since 1953. (

Archbishop Robert McElroy addressed political violence during his remarks inside the cathedral.

“We have witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the assault on the U.S. Capitol,” the cardinal said from the lectern, WUSA reported. “Both mark the progression from civil dialogue to uncivil dialogue to force and fear.”

MPD’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and the Arson Task Force removed the suspicious materials. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation.

A man who had vials of liquid and possible fireworks was arrested outside of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle Sunday morning before Red Mass started, police say. https://t.co/RJQXggTqib

— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) October 5, 2025

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CBS reported on why Supreme Court Justices were present at the cathedral:

St. Matthew’s Cathedral was celebrating the Red Mass, an annual Mass to mark the start of the U.S. Supreme Court term. There were no justices spotted at Sunday’s Mass.

Supreme Court justices have been grappling with a rise in violence and threats towards them as political discourse heats up — particularly after 2022, when news leaked that the Court was poised to overturn the landmark decision Roe v. Wade.

On Friday, a California resident was sentenced to eight years in prison for the attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted to overturn Roe.

Justice Amy Barrett, who is a conservative and a devout Catholic, recently told CBS News that despite the threats and protests, she is not afraid.