A man with a gun arrested by Capitol Police at a security checkpoint calls it an ‘honest mistake.’

Authored by nytimes.com and submitted by Cartographerspeed
image for A man with a gun arrested by Capitol Police at a security checkpoint calls it an ‘honest mistake.’

The U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man at a security checkpoint in Washington on Friday after he flashed what an officer described as an “unauthorized” inauguration credential and a search of his truck found an unregistered handgun and ammunition, the authorities said.

A federal law enforcement official said that the man, Wesley A. Beeler, 31, worked as a contractor, and that his credential was issued by the Park Police, but was not recognized by the police officer. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the arrest. Mr. Beeler had no known extremist ties, the official said.

“It was an honest mistake,” Mr. Beeler told The Washington Post after being charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and released on Saturday afternoon. He said he had been working a security job in Washington, was running late to work, and had forgotten that his firearm was in his truck.

“I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in D.C. because I’m a country boy,” he told The Post. “I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me.”

DuckyComeStandard on January 16th, 2021 at 22:40 UTC »

As his credential was being checked, another officer noted bumper stickers on the truck’s windows, which read, “Assault Life” and “If they come for your guns giv ‘em your bullets first,” police said.

Imagine trying to break into federal grounds unlawfully with that on your car. What a dumbass.

nolyec87 on January 16th, 2021 at 22:37 UTC »

"The arrested man, Wesley A. Beeler, 31, was a contractor, and the credential was not fake, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the arrest. A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police said the man had shown a “nongovernment issued” credential of some kind. Mr. Beeler’s father, Paul Beeler, said in an interview that his son was part of a security team working alongside the Capitol Police and the National Guard, and that his son must have simply left his personal gun in his truck. Wesley Beeler has an active private security license in Virginia and was approved to have a handgun, shotgun or patrol rifle while on assignments, according to a state website."

suspiciouscetacean on January 16th, 2021 at 21:37 UTC »

This guy is just the first of many that will be caught trying to commit terrorist acts ahead of the inauguration.

Edit: Got this one wrong, I shouldn't have jumped the gun on the little information that was available when this was first reported. In my opinion, the facts point towards this just being an honest mistake.