Virginia man arrested at downtown DC checkpoint found with loaded handgun and ammunition, law enforcement source says

"Evil===Live spelled backwards. Violence is anti-LIFE".

US Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in downtown Washington, DC, Friday with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, according to a police report and a law enforcement source briefed on the situation.

The incident occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. when Wesley Allen Beeler pulled his pick-up truck to a police vehicle checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE, just north of the Capitol building, the source told CNN.

Beeler, from Front Royal, Virginia, presented officers with what was described as an unauthorized inauguration credential.

When police asked Beeler if he was carrying any weapons, Beeler told them he had a Glock semi-automatic pistol in the center armrest, the source said. The Glock was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, the source said.

Police later recovered the pistol, as well as 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun, according to an incident report provided by the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department.

Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses, the report said.

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NuNativs

Virginia man arrested at downtown DC checkpoint found with loaded handgun and ammunition, law enforcement source says

"Evil===Live spelled backwards. Violence is anti-LIFE".

US Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in downtown Washington, DC, Friday with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition, according to a police report and a law enforcement source briefed on the situation.

The incident occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. when Wesley Allen Beeler pulled his pick-up truck to a police vehicle checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE, just north of the Capitol building, the source told CNN.

Beeler, from Front Royal, Virginia, presented officers with what was described as an unauthorized inauguration credential.

When police asked Beeler if he was carrying any weapons, Beeler told them he had a Glock semi-automatic pistol in the center armrest, the source said. The Glock was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, the source said.

Police later recovered the pistol, as well as 509 rounds of ammunition, shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun, according to an incident report provided by the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department.

Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses, the report said.

FAKE NEWS!

Lies of the Libs!

Here's WHAT REALLY HAPPENED -

CNN (and all the other Lib Media) blows story (LIES) about Virginia man arrested at police checkpoint in Washington, D.C.

A law enforcement official said investigators now do not consider the security contractor a threat to public safety.

[justthenews.com]

Throughout Saturday, CNN breathlessly covered what it called a “disturbing story."

“US Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in a locked-down zone of downtown Washington, DC, Friday with 'fake' inaugural credentials, an unregistered handgun and over 500 rounds of ammunition, according to court documents,” the first story on its website said.

Jim Scuitto, a CNN anchor and chief national security correspondent, hyped the story on Twitter. "New: US Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in downtown Washington Friday with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded handgun & over 500 rounds of ammunition, CNN reporting," he wrote.

New: US Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in downtown Washington Friday with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded handgun & over 500 rounds of ammunition, CNN reporting.— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 16, 2021
Anchor Wolf Blitzer got in on the game, playing up the "fake" credentials – and even threw in a plug for his show.

"There's very disturbing breaking news here in Washington. @CNN reports U.S. Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded gun and over 500 rounds of ammunition. I'm anchoring special @CNNSitRoom coverage today 3-7PM ET," he wrote on Twitter.

There's very disturbing breaking news here in Washington. @CNN reports U.S. Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded gun and over 500 rounds of ammunition. I'm anchoring special @CNNSitRoom coverage today 3-7PM ET.— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) January 16, 2021

But then the story started to fall apart.

The man, Wesley Beeler, 31, of Fort Royal, Va., appeared over the weekend for a brief court hearing and was immediately released from custody. "A law enforcement official said that investigators do not consider him a threat to public safety," CNN eventually reported.

Turns out Beeler was a security contractor who did have an inaugural credential, but it was not recognized by the officers, according to an Associated Press law enforcement source. Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said Beeler had presented "a non-government issued credential."

Beeler’s father told the The New York Times that his son is working an armed security job with the Capitol Police. As such, he was authorized to have a firearm.

After his release Saturday, Beeler told The Washington Post he simply forgot to take his weapon out of his vehicle when he left his home in Virginia – where he is licensed to carry a gun. He said "it was an honest mistake."

"I pulled up to a checkpoint after getting lost in D.C. because I’m a country boy," he said. "I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me" by his employer, MVP Protective Services.

"It was just me forgetting to take it out of my truck before I left for work. I don’t know what the D.C. laws are. It still comes back on me, but I’m not a criminal," he said.

"This blew up into this whole domestic terrorist thing. Just because things are happening out there doesn’t mean that’s what I’m trying to do. I forgot my firearm was in the truck and I was just trying to make it to work," Beeler told FOX 5.

Beeler also said he was hired to guard media equipment at Seventh Street and Constitution Avenue Northwest, nine blocks from the White House, and that his credential had previously been enough to enter the area.

CNN later changed its story, calling Beeler's credentials "unauthorized." Scuitto also pulled back his breathless tweet.