‘SUPREME COURT’

Bizarre Reason People Detained With Guns Were at Capitol

Police closed roads around the area, although they tweeted that they would open them soon after clearing a suspicious vehicle.

A Georgia man has been arrested while another two people were briefly detained but not arrested after authorities discovered guns, a pipe, and containers inside a small white van the trio were traveling in. The van was illegally parked on Capitol grounds and when confronted by Capitol Police officers Wednesday afternoon, the driver said there were guns inside. In a bizarre twist, “the individuals told our investigators they were here to deliver documents to the U.S. Supreme Court,” the Capitol Police said in a statement. Police arrested the driver of the vehicle, 80-year old Tony H. Payne of Tunnel Hill, Georgia, and detained another unidentified man and a woman during the search. Officers found two handguns and a shotgun inside the van, which was also “hit” by a K-9. Police closed roads around the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress as they investigated the vehicle, which was then cleared by the USCP Hazardous Incident Response Division after the discovery of the pipe and containers. The suspect is facing three charges: unregistered firearm, unregistered ammunition, and carrying a pistol without a license, USCP said in a later tweet. A woman and a second man, who were briefly detained, were not arrested. USCP tweeted that the roads would open shortly. Weapons are banned from Capitol grounds, “yet dozens of people are arrested each year for violating the law,” police said.