Woman Arrested For Impersonating Officer at Capitol, Man Arrested For Fake Inauguration Credentials (UPDATE)
Image via Getty/Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times
UPDATED 01/17/21 3:00 p.m. ET: Shortly after Capitol Police arrested a man who tried to use fake inauguration credentials to get past a security point in D.C., authorities now say they've arrested a Connecticut woman for impersonating a law enforcement officer.
As Wavy and NewsNation Now report, the arrest of the Connecticut woman Linda MaGovern happened on Saturday. The 63-year-old attempted to pass through a security checkpoint, similar to Wesley Allen Beeler on Friday, showing officers a military challenge coin and claiming she was an officer. When authorities questioned her further, she drove off before she was stopped.
She has been charged with false impersonation of a law enforcement officer, failure to obey an officer, and fleeing law enforcement. Officials in the area have actively encouraged people to not visit the Capitol on or around inauguration day with tensions only increasing in the lead-up to Jan. 20 following the insurrection on Jan. 6.
See original story below.
U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a Virginia man who attempted to get past a security checkpoint with fake inauguration credentials, a loaded firearm, and 500 rounds of ammo.
According to CNN, Wesley Allen Beeler was taken into custody Friday night after he pulled up to a checkpoint near the Capitol building in Washington D.C. He allegedly provided officers with an "unauthorized inauguration credential" before he admitted to having a Glock semi-automatic pistol in his vehicle. Officers later discovered the Glock was loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire. A Metropolitan Police Department report also states Beeler had 509 rounds of ammunition and 21 12-gauge shotgun shells.
The man was taken to the U.S. Capitol Police headquarters and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
Law enforcement has tightened its security measures ahead of Joe Biden's presidential inauguration, which will take place exactly two weeks after the deadly U.S. Capitol riots.
On Thursday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency is preparing for the possibility of more right-wing violence and armed protests during Biden's swearing-in ceremony.
"We are seeing an extensive amount of concerning online chatter, I guess that's the best way I would describe it, about a number of events surrounding the inauguration," Wray said at a FEMA event. "And together with our partners, we evaluate those threats and what kind of resources to deploy against them. Right now, we are tracking calls for potential armed protest and activity leading up to the inauguration."
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