ARMED ‘AUDIT’ PAIR BUSTED
Masked gunmen in cop station out to test law
DETROIT — Open-carry advocate James Baker had body armor on, a semi-automatic pistol on his hip, a short-barreled rifle slung on his chest and a black ski mask on. His buddy Brandon Vreeland also had on body armor but left his gun in the car, carrying cameras instead to videotape what was about to happen.
The two men wanted to file a complaint about being pulled over earlier by Dearborn police officers, and wanted to “audit” the department to see if its officers “honored” the Constitution and their right to carry guns.
When they walked into the station’s lobby Sunday afternoon, police officers with guns drawn were waiting. A tense standoff occurred as the two men initially refused to comply with orders to drop to the ground as they argued they had a right to carry weapons.
“Put it on the ground or you are dead,” one of the officers screams in the video that was livestreamed via cellphones on the internet by Baker and Vreeland. “I will shoot you. I will put a round in you. What the hell is the matter with you?”
Baker insisted his guns are legal, but police insisted he put them down. The video went blank but audio recording continued and the confrontation ended without gunshots. Both men were arrested.
Yesterday, Dearborn police and a statewide opencarry group condemned the two men’s actions.
“I find this behavior totally unacceptable and irresponsible,” police Chief Ronald Haddad said in a statement yesterday afternoon. “This is not a Second Amendment issue for me. We had members of the public in our lobby that fled in fear for their safety as these men entered our building.”
Tom Lambert, president of Michigan Open Carry Inc., a gun rights group, issued a statement supporting the police handling of the incident.
“Let us be clear, Michigan Open Carry Inc. in no way supports the actions of these individuals,” Lambert said. “It is our belief that their actions were reckless, and primarily designed to draw attention and a response.”
Lambert said his group advocates the lawful open carrying of a holstered handgun for the purposes of selfdefense, noting thousands of people do it every day without incident.
Baker, 24, of Leonard, couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday, but Vreeland said both men are legal gun owners and Michigan law allows them to carry their weapons openly.
“We audit police to see how well they honor the Constitution and people’s rights,” said Vreeland, 40, who was free after posting $1,500 bond. “We showcase police abuse and abuse of police power in the totalitarian police state that we live in.”
Vreeland said he and Baker went to the police station to complain about Dearborn officers stopping them earlier in the day.
“No laws were broken,” he said. “If we had to defend ourselves in a gun battle, I’d rather be armed.”
Baker is charged with breaching the peace, failure to cooperate with police and masking his identity. Vreeland is charged with breaching the peace, obstructing police and failure to cooperate. Vreeland said police confiscated his car, his rifle, his cameras and phone.