WASHINGTON (AP) – Police in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday arrested a Georgia man who they say had several guns in his van and claimed to be in Washington to file documents with the Supreme Court.
Tony H. Payne, 80, of Tunnel Hill, Georgia, was arrested on charges of illegal possession of a weapon on the grounds of the US Capitol. His arrest came after police surrounded his van — which officials said was illegally parked — and closed several streets around the Capitol and Supreme Court for hours.
Police said Payne’s van came to their attention shortly before 4 p.m. as a “suspicious vehicle” parked illegally on the Capitol grounds.
Police initially took Payne and two other people into custody when Payne admitted to having a gun in the white van. The other two people were released without charge.
Police found two handguns and a shotgun in the van, authorities said.
The people taken into custody by police told investigators they “came to deliver documents to the U.S. Supreme Court,” police said. Investigators conducted an extensive search of the van after finding “a pipe and containers” inside, but the vehicle was eventually cleared.
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