Virginia man arrested at Capitol checkpoint with 500 rounds of ammunition denounces ‘honest mistake’

A Virginia man who was arrested by Capitol Hill police at an inaugural Washington DC checkpoint with 500 rounds called the incident an “honest mistake.”

Wesley A. Beeler, 31, of Front Royal, was arrested at a checkpoint north of the Capitol building around 6:30 p.m. Friday in a white truck and produced identifying information which was deemed “unauthorized to enter in the restricted area “, according to police documents.

Authorities found an unregistered firearm in Beeler’s vehicle, “509 rounds of 9mm hollow point and bullet ammunition” and shotgun shells. Beeler was arrested on five counts, including carrying a concealed weapon, possession of an unregistered firearm, illegal possession of care and possession of an ammunition supply device large capacity, according to Capitol Police.

In an interview with the Washington post, Beeler called the incident an “honest mistake” and said he accidentally went to the restricted area checkpoint “after getting lost in Washington because I’m a country boy.” .

Beeler said he worked as a contractor for MVP Protective Services, a private securities firm, and the company provided him with the credentials he showed to checkpoint authorities. “I showed them the inauguration badge that was given to me,” he explained.

Beeler also claimed he forgot to remove the pistol and ammo from his vehicle before entering DC. “I don’t know what the laws of DC are. It always comes back to me, but I’m not a criminal.”

Newsweek contacted MVP protection service for comment. This story will be updated with any response.

Concerns about the violence in Washington and other states that led to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden have increased following last week’s attempted insurgency, which left 5 people dead.

FBI Director Chris Wray said the office was seeing “a large number of disturbing online discussions” that suggest violence could occur in the coming days. In response, DC security officials closed the National Mall until January 21 and barred access to the opening. More than 20,000 National Guard troops have also been deployed to patrol the area.

Many states across the country are closing their Capitol buildings on January 20, including Texas, California, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and the Navy.

Many of those states already have limited public access to their Capitol buildings in response to the pandemic, but will be stepping up security, with some summoning the National Guard, in anticipation of violence on inauguration day.