Police have arrested a man with a handgun and 500 rounds of ammunition at a checkpoint in Washington set up ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Wesley Allen Beeler of Front Royal, Virginia, was charged with carrying a pistol without a license after being stopped at the checkpoint near the U.S. Capitol on Friday.
Court documents say Beeler approached the checkpoint but did not have a valid credential for that area. Separately, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press he had a valid credential for inaugural events, though it was not issued by the government and was not recognized by the officers. The official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Court documents say an officer noticed Beeler had “firearms-related stickers” on his vehicle and asked him if he had any weapons inside. The papers say Beeler told the officers he had a handgun under the armrest and police detained him at the scene.
They searched Beeler’s car and found a high-capacity magazine in the 9mm handgun, along with more than 500 rounds of ammunition in the vehicle. Authorities said he didn’t have a license to carry the gun in Washington.
His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
