A Virginia man who showed the police an unauthorized opening credential at a checkpoint along the perimeter that protects downtown Washington, DC, before Inauguration Day, was arrested after a gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in his vehicle, police said.
Front Royal’s Wesley Allen Beeler stopped at a security checkpoint on North Capitol Street and E Street Northwest at about 6:30 pm on Friday in a white Ford 150 truck with Virginia labels and gun-related decals, according to with US Capitol Police records.
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The truck that Beeler was driving was decorated with firearm stickers, including some that said “Assault life” and “If they come after your guns, give them your bullets first.”
Police said Beeler presented an unauthorized credential. The authorities did not immediately provide further details on what type of documentation Beeler allegedly tried to provide.
When the credential did not correspond to a list of persons authorized to enter the inauguration perimeter, United States Capitol police conducted further searches.
A gun with a high-capacity magazine and ammunition was found in the vehicle, police said. The gun was not registered in Washington, DC, police said.
The police claim to have also found “509 rounds of 9mm round and hollow-point ammunition” and 21 rounds of 12-gauge shotguns.
Beeler was arrested and taken to the United States Capitol Police headquarters for processing.
Beeler is charged with possession of a concealed weapon, possession of an unregistered firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, according to DC police.
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