An armed 31-year-old man arrested by Seattle police at Monday’s Ferguson demonstration is facing charges after officers found a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials in his backpack and vehicle.
A bystander alerted police to a suspicious man Monday and reported seeing him handling a road flare during a well-attended demonstration. Officers contacted the man, who told police he was carrying a loaded handgun, despite not having a concealed weapons permit. Police then discovered the man was also carrying a 7-inch knife in his backpack, and had a box of ammunition, an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a box full of large fireworks in his car.
Police arrested the man on weapons charges and booked him into the King County Jail. The City Attorney’s Office filed three charges against the suspect Wednesday: possession of a concealed pistol without a permit, carrying a dangerous knife, and illegal possession of fireworks. He was one of five people arrested during the demonstrations, and the only one arrested for weapons charges.
SPD investigators are also looking for a second man, seen throwing a large improvised explosive at officers as they worked to reopen Interstate 5 (1:55 in the video below) .
Seattle Police support all demonstrations with public safety services and will be present as people gather this weekend and beyond.
A redacted copy of the police report for the man’s arrest is available online here (PDF).
Video Courtesy of Phil Mocek