A Virginia man has been arrested for allegedly trying to enter through a Washington DC checkpoint armed with a gun, 500 rounds of ammunition and fake credentials, according to a report.
Wesley Allen Beeler, from Front Royal, Virginia, was arrested Friday evening as he tried to make his way through security checkpoints in downtown DC that have been erected ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration, CNN reported.
The outlet cited a police report and a law enforcement source which said Beeler drove his pick-up truck to a checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE close to the Capitol just after 6:30 p.m.
He tried to get passed cops by flashing the fraudulent inauguration documents but was stopped by officers.
Police later found the firearm and ammunition in his vehicle.
The close call comes just one week after the Capitol became the site of a violent siege that left five dead.
Unprecedented levels of protection have been set up around the Capitol in the wake of the attack to prevent a possible invasion on inauguration day.
Beeler allegedly arrived at the checkpoint just north of the Capitol building Friday evening and showed officers his fake inauguration credentials in an effort to get inside the perimeter.
Officers asked the suspect if he had any weapons to which he admitted he was carrying a Glock semi-automatic pistol in the armrest of his truck, the source told CNN.
Police then uncovered the handgun and found it was pre-loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, the source said.
The police report seen by the outlet says officers found the pistol, 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a handgun magazine.
It is not clear what Beeler was planning to do once inside the secured perimeter. SOURCE.
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