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The Springfield police recognize that two alert employees and two police officers arrested a man suspected of preparing a mass shootout in a Washington County business Monday afternoon.
Matthew Smith, 37, was arrested Monday at L & B Manufacturing on Industry Drive. Police said he had several firearms in his vehicle, including one that appeared to be a fully automatic weapon.
An employee confronted Matthew Smith in the parking lot and then informed a supervisor, who called the police at L & B Manufacturing to report a complaint about a suspicious vehicle and a property-related complaint. around 4 pm On Monday.
"If people see something, they have to say something, in this case, do not wait, do not hesitate, that's what prevented that, in our opinion," he said. Springfield Police Chief Jim Smith.
Police officer from the Springfield Police Department, Joe Templeman, said he had approached Matthew Smith, who had dropped the window, to ask him his name. Templeman said Matthew Smith had asked him for his badge number.
Templeman said that he could say that something was wrong depending on how Matthew Smith acted. The officer again asked Matthew Smith to clarify his name and ask him to get out of the vehicle, which Matthew Smith had refused.
Templeman said that he had opened the driver's door and that Matthew Smith had begun to lift a Glock handgun towards the officer.
When Matthew Smith raised his gun at the officer, he seized him with his left hand and handed it to Captain Tony Golden.
"You do not have time to think, I just reacted, my training started and I was able to control his weapon faster than mine," Templeman said.
At this point, the officer took Matthew Smith to the ground, while Matthew Smith was trying to grab something from his belt.
Templeman and Golden took control of Matthew Smith and a Springfield XD handgun was found concealed in his front belt. Matthew Smith was then handcuffed and another Glock was found in an ankle holster.
Investigators said that all handguns on Matthew Smith's body were fully loaded with a bullet in the room.
Templeman said that he believed that Matthew Smith had the intention of killing him and killing other people.
"I've constantly thought about it, what would have happened if no one had noticed it, no one would have called it.What would we do now?" Said Templeman.
"While the facts are in front of me at this point, I think my officers and these two employees have prevented a possible mass shot," said Jim Smith.
The police also found a Colt AR 15 A-2 with a 40-cartridge magazine on the front passenger seat and a .308 rifle under this gun.
Police said Matthew Smith had several fully loaded magazines for each semi-automatic weapon.
When removing the AR-15, the police understood that it had been changed to be fully automatic because the security was not working properly and that the trigger was resetting when it was booted. Further investigation will determine if the weapon was fully automatic, the police said.
In an interview with the police, Matthew Smith told police that he was at L & B looking for an employee he had filed earlier in the day who had not responded to his calls or to texting. Matthew Smith told the officers that he feared that this employee would be trafficked and that he showed up to wait for this employee, according to the report.
After his mirandization, Matthew Smith told the officer interviewed that he "was bringing everything he needed to do his job," police said. Jim Smith said Matthew Smith had studied the layout of the building and knew how to get in and out, including the roof entrances.
"He has just made factual statements to us that he was going to enter this building and cause significant damage," said Jim Smith.
Matthew Smith is charged with two counts of unjustified endangerment of a first-degree police officer, two counts of arrest resistance, one count of attempted murder, and one count of murder. a criminal third degree criminal.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also investigating this case.
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