Police in Washington, D.C. said a man was arrested outside of the U.S. Capitol early on Friday after he parked a vehicle in the area and was found to have a fake badge, high capacity magazines along with other ammunition, body armor, and a BB gun.
U.S. Capitol Police released images on Twitter later on Friday that showed a vehicle, the ammunition retrieved from the vehicle, body armor and other items. Police described the ammunition as "High Capacity Magazines" in the statement. The vehicle was identified as a 2017 Dodge Charger which was parked near Peace Circle on the west side of the Capitol Complex, according to police who say they began speaking with a man before 5 a.m. local time on Friday, WUSA9 reported.
The body armor was described as including two ballistic vests, but police said they did not find any "real guns," according to WUSA9.
USCP Arrests Man with Fake Badge, Body Armor & High Capacity Magazines: https://t.co/FkFUq4UpYJ pic.twitter.com/xjfFQHQgD0
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) June 3, 2022
According to NBC Washington, citing U.S. Capitol Police, the man was identified as 53-year-old Jerome Felipe of Flint, Michigan. Felipe was reportedly charged with unlawful possession of high-capacity magazines and unregistered ammunition.
Reports said that Felipe was a retired police officer "out of New York." The badge he provided to officers who were speaking with him had "Department of the INTERPOL" printed on it, and the man said he was an investigator with the agency.