A Virginia man has been arrested in Washington D.C. with a loaded handgun, more than 500 rounds of ammunition and fake credentials to attend the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr. in just four days.
CNN first reported, quoting a police report and a law enforcement source that the arrest occurred at 6.30 p.m. on Friday in downtown D.C. when Wesley Allen Beeler pulled his pick-up truck to a police vehicle checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE, just north of the Capitol building.
The suspect Beeler is from Front Royal, Virginia. He showed the officers what was described as an unauthorized inauguration credential.
The source told CNN that when police asked Beeler if he was carrying any weapons, he told them he had a Glock semi-automatic pistol in the center armrest.
The Glock was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, according to the source.
Police later recovered the pistol, as well as 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun, according to the incident report provided by the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department.
The report said Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses.
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.