MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2021) The man who was arrested in Washington DC after police found out that he did not have proper documentation for his firearm has been released, The Washington Post reports.
According to US media reports, late on Friday, Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man in downtown Washington DC armed with at least one firearm. The man, identified as Wesley Allen Beeler, 31, stopped his pick-up truck near a police vehicle checkpoint, north of the Capitol building. When asked if he was carrying any weapons, the man mentioned having a Glock semi-automatic pistol. Police confiscated the weapon, as well as shotgun shells and a handgun magazine found in Beeler's truck.
Beeler was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license and for possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition.
According to The Washington Post, at a Saturday hearing the US attorney's office for the District asked a judge to issue a stay-away order and Beeler was released on personal recognizance.
"It was an honest mistake," Beeler said after being released on Saturday, as quoted by the newspaper. He said he forgot that his firearm was in his truck when he left his home in Virginia, where he has a license to carry firearms.
Beeler said he has been working as an overnight hired security in downtown Washington, guarding media equipment.
"I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in D.C. because I'm a country boy," he said, as quoted by The Washington Post. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me."
According to Beeler, he was given a credential by his employer, MVP Protective Services, and it had previously been enough to navigate Washington DC. However, US Capitol Police said that the Virginia man was not authorized to enter the restricted area in Washington DC with the credential he presented.
