A man was caught outside the U.S. Capitol with a fake badge and BB gun as well as body armor and ammunition.
U.S. Capitol Police officers located the man, 53-year old Jerome Felipe from Flint, Mich. just before 5 a.m. on Friday. The man had his Dodge Charger parked on the west side, and a U.S. Capitol Patrol officer began to talk to him. Felipe, a former police officer presented officers with a fake badge with the words “Department of the INTERPOL.” It stated that Felipe was a criminal investigation with the agency. According to U.S. Capitol Police
Capitol Police had permission to search Felipe’s vehicle. They found magazines, ammunition, and a BB gun. But they didn’t find any real guns. It is not clear why Felipe was parked so close to the Capitol.
USCP Arrests Man with Fake Badge, Body Armor & High Capacity Magazines: https://t.co/FkFUq4UpYJ pic.twitter.com/xjfFQHQgD0
According to the U.S. Capitol Police, Felipe is facing charges of unlawful possession high-capacity magazines with unregistered ammunition and Felipe could face criminal prosecution.
Felipe is transient, according to law enforcement sources. He has been living in his car for the past few weeks. According to the law enforcement source, Felipe stated that he wanted the Capitol to see.
Felipe is among many others who were arrested for illegal possession in the vicinity of the Capitol. CBS News reviewed Capitol Police records in January and found that 16 people were arrested for firearm possession. Two others were also taken into custody for possessing BB guns in the area of the Capitol.
This report was contributed by Scott MacFarlane and Michael Kaplan of CBS News
