DC barricade suspect accused of shooting 3 police officers gave fake name, had 31 dogs in home

WASHINGTON - The suspect accused of shooting three D.C. police officers before an hours-long stand-off has been ordered to remain in jail.

D.C. police initially identified the suspect as 46-year-old Julius James but confirmed to FOX 5 Thursday that the suspect provided officers a false name. A police department spokesperson said the suspect’s name is Michael Rattigan, though court documents list the suspect’s name as Stephen Claude Rattigan.

Judge Renee Raymond used both "James" and "Rattigan" when referring to the suspect’s surname in court Thursday when he made his initial appearance.

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Rattigan is accused of shooting and wounding three D.C. police officers who were attempting to serve a warrant on animal cruelty. The warrant obtained by FOX 5 states that a concerned citizen called the Washington Humane Society in early January over concerns of dogs being neglected at 5032 Hanna Place, SE.

When an officer visited the home, court documents state "there was a strong odor of dog feces and urine at the front door" and the sounds of "lots of dogs barking from within" but there was no answer.

Officers later obtained surveillance video from April 15, 2023 showing an incident of the suspect’s two dogs approaching a child and an adult outside "in an excited and friendly manner" before the suspect allegedly punches one of his dogs in the face six times.

"Throughout the course of our investigation, our Humane Law Enforcement officers obtained evidence of the suspect allegedly striking and punching a dog, and we obtained an arrest warrant on charges of animal cruelty. At the end of the day on February 14, after the suspect was taken into custody, our officers removed 31 dogs - 20 adults and 11 puppies - from the house on the 5000 block of Hanna Place SE. They range in age from 2 months to several years old. All of the dogs appear to be American Bullies, or some mix thereof," the Humane Rescue Alliance said in a statement released Thursday. 

Additionally, a court document filed with the D.C. Superior Court on Jan. 17 shows that the landlord of 5032 Hanna Place was attempting to evict him after he "failed to correct [a] violation." That violation, the documents show, was keeping possession of two dogs that the landlord claimed attacked a 2-year-old in April 2023.

The notice stated that the tenant's two dogs "attacked a 2-year-old and her guardian," and that he had to "get rid of the dogs by May 31, 2023 or vacate." 

At total of 31 dogs were removed from the home Wednesday after Rattigan surrendered. 

As of Thursday, the suspect faces new charges related to the shooting on top of the animal cruelty charge. New charges include assault with intent to kill, along with firearm counts. An argument was made by an attorney representing the suspect that there was no evidence he was trying to kill the officers who were shot.

RELATED: Suspect accused of shooting 3 DC police officers surrenders, 31 dogs removed from home

However, a prosecutor argued that Rattigan is an "extreme danger" and the shots were fired close at range Wednesday.

New court documents obtained by FOX 5 state Rattigan told police he does not take any medications for mental health, but he "is not right in the head and needs help".

A court date is scheduled for Feb. 29.

The Humane Rescue Alliance said that several people have reached out concerning the dogs and they appreciate how much you want to help them," but they add that, "right now, our priority is to focus on their care and wellbeing, and to allow them to settle in after what was an exceptionally traumatic day in their lives."