New York Daily News

Capitol cops bust man with gun, fake pass

- Cathy Burke

A Virginia man with fake inaugural credential­s, a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition was busted while trying to pass through a U.S. Capitol Police checkpoint in downtown Washington on Friday, according to authoritie­s.

The arrest was made about 6:30 p.m., according to a police report tweeted Saturday by a Washington TV station. CNN first reported the arrest.

Wesley Allen Beeler pulled his pickup truck to a police vehicle checkpoint just north of the Capitol, the police report said.

The checkpoint was set up after a deadly siege of the Capitol by pro-Trump supporters Jan. 6 put Washington on a near-lockdown ahead of Wednesday’s inaugurati­on of President-elect Joe Biden.

Beeler, of Front Royal, Va., gave officers an unauthoriz­ed inaugurati­on credential, the police report noted. His windshield stickers included one that advised, “If they come for your guns Give ’em your bullets first,” and another that declared, “Assault Life,” with a picture of a rifle.

When police asked Beeler if he was carrying any weapons, he told them he had a Glock semiautoma­tic pistol in the center armrest — loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire, the news outlet reported.

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 from the Metropolit­an Police Department.

Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregister­ed firearm and possession of unregister­ed ammunition, among other offenses, that police report stated.

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