Man arrested near White House ‘with loaded gun in car’ told police he ‘needed information about the Oval Office’
A MAN with a “loaded gun in the car” has been arrested near the White House after allegedly telling cops he “needed information about the Oval Office”.
Santiago Macias of Midland, Texas, 37, was found with a pistol, two loaded magazines and 79 rounds of ammunition, near the Ellipse in Washington DC on Friday, court records say, NBC reports.
A D.C. police officer was on bicycle patrol along Constitution Avenue NW when Macias stopped the officer at about 11.50am, according to the outlet.
Sitting in a black pickup truck, he asked if he could park there and said he “needed information about the Oval Office”, court records say.
According to police, cops then noticed a holster mounted in his car and asked if he was in possession of a firearm. The man “nodded his head up and down and stated ‘yes'”, cops said in an incident report.
“The recovered weapon appeared to be fully functional, is designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive… and is capable of being fired by use of a second hand.
“The weapon was in between the driver’s seat and the centre console.”
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Police said he was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, according to a report.
Macias said he spoke little English and was provided a translator, NBC reports.
The incident came just two days after Joe Biden‘s inauguration.
More than 25,000 troops were deployed to Washington to protect the Capitol during Biden’s inauguration following a deadly siege led by pro-Trump rioters on January 6.