Police in central Florida arrested a man on Sunday who they said intended to create an “active shooter” situation with officers and “start a war.”
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said that Glen Ressler, 42, of Interlachen, Florida, was angry at police for seizing his driver's license during a recent traffic stop because it had already been suspended.
The sheriff’s office said they sent officers to investigate Ressler’s home early Sunday after receiving word about his plans to retaliate for the seizure of his license.
“While approaching the residence, a deputy using night vision spotted Ressler approaching the deputies wearing a tactical vest while armed with the four firearms and extra ammunition,” police said.
“Through dialog, exceptional skill and tactical planning, the deputies were able to disarm Ressler and take him into custody without further incident,” the officer added.
Photos posted by the sheriff’s office on social media show two rifles and two pistols ostensibly seized from Ressler.
Ressler was charged with four counts of aggravated assault and one count of violation of a domestic violence injunction. He is being held without bond.
A day after Ressler’s arrest, police in northern Massachusetts made their own arrest of a man in possession of an arsenal of weapons.
According to local media, a Massachusetts State Police officer approached a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander at a weigh station on Interstate 95 in Rowley that had been observed to be operating erratically. While speaking with the driver, 24-year-old Stewart Silvestri, the officer reportedly spotted a handgun fitted with a 50-round drum magazine in plain sight, as well as another handgun underneath the driver’s seat.
After Silvestri was detained, the officer was joined by several others who searched the car and found a myriad of weapons, including seven polymer-frame pistols, a short-barreled “AR-style” rifle, 34 magazines, of which 23 were high-capacity magazines and loaded with varying numbers of rounds, 22 other firearm components, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Police said Silvestri did not have a gun license in Massachusetts, and he was also found to be under the influence of drugs. A search of his backpack found large amounts of cocaine, suboxone, Xanax, liquid GHB, and several prescription medications.
He is being held on a $100,000 bond and has been charged with a slew of crimes associated with the bust.