Police arrest man in D.C. who had fake inaugural credentials, loaded gun & over 500 rounds of ammo

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man as he attempted to pass through a police checkpoint in downtown D.C. with fake inaugural credentials, a loaded handgun and over 500 rounds of ammunition, according to a police report and a law enforcement source briefed on the situation.

The man, identified as Wesley Allen Beeler, pulled his pickup truck to a police checkpoint just north of the Capitol building, the source told CNN. Beeler, from Front Royal, Virginia, presented officers with what was described as an unauthorized inauguration credential.

His family countered that Beeler has been working as a private security guard at a work site near the Capitol, The Washington Post reported Saturday. The newspaper reported he was released on his own recognizance, but a judge ordered him to stay away from the District, except to appear in court or with his lawyer.

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

Police 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 and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition, among other offenses, the report said.