A Kentucky man was arrested in the US Department of Defence (DOD) parking lot, after he was found in possession of an armed shotgun, in addition to numerous knives, marijuana and alcohol.
Charles Lawson of Kentucky reportedly approached two Pentagon security officers being “visibly intoxicated,” court documents say, according to Fox 5. While speaking to the officers, the man made an “incoherent statement about being in the area for ‘liberty business.’”
When asked whether he had any weapons on him or in his truck, Lawson admitted he had a loaded shotgun in his truck.
“The man admitted that he had a loaded weapon in his vehicle and verbally consented to a search of his vehicle,” a DOD spokesperson said, according to The Daily Mail.
The officers handcuffed the man and searched the truck where they discovered a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with six shells, a 25-round box of shells, a few loose rounds, a rusty machete, and several knives, as well as a bottle of Jim Bean Vanilla bourbon whiskey and some “green leafy substance wrapped in white paper.”
After police took the man into custody, Lawson disclosed that he drove from Kentucky to Washington DC, drinking alcohol throughout the day, the Fox 5 report says. On his ride to the Pentagon, he stopped at a Walmart where he bought a box of ammunition for his shotgun.
The man was reportedly taken to Arlington County Department of Human Services where he agreed to a psychiatric evaluation and was subsequently diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia. The man was reportedly in a mental institution earlier in February, Fox 5 says. The Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on what charges Lawson might face, noting that the investigation was in progress.
Walmart is under heavy criticism for its decision to keep selling military-grade assault weapons and ammunition in the wake of two deadly domestic terror attacks that rocked the US just two weeks ago.
The El Paso shooting took place inside of a Walmart located in the city’s largest shopping mall. Following the shooting, proponents of gun control called for the re-introduction of obligatory background checks for all gun buyers.