(Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images)
D.C. police arrested a Pennsylvania man inside of the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday after finding an assault rifle, a handgun, and 90 rounds of ammunition in his car.
A tipster in Pennsylvania told the state’s police officers that Bryan Moles was travelling to Washington, possibly to Trump’s hotel, carrying weapons early this morning, according to D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham, who spoke about the incident at a press conference today.
Newsham said that Pennsylvania police told the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department about the tip they’d received around 12:30 a.m. The tipster gave Moles’ name as well as his description and a description of his car.
D.C. Police alerted the hotel’s security, who located Moles’ car in a parking garage, Newsham said. After police determined that there were no explosives in the car, they found a Glock 23 pistol and a Carbon Bushmaster assault rifle. One of the weapons was in plain view inside of the car and the other was in the glove compartment.
Police located Moles inside of the hotel—he had checked in as a guest, Newsham said. He was found inside of his room, The Washington Post reports.
Officers arrested the 43 year old from Edinboro, Pennsylvania and charged him with carrying a pistol without a license, carrying a dangerous weapon, and carrying unregistered ammunition.
While there have been reports that Moles “made threatening remarks” during the incident, Newsham said that police do not have enough information at the moment to charge him with making threats.
And “at no time were Secret Service protectors at risk,” according to a statement from the agency.
Police are conducting a “thorough investigation” as to why Moles was in the District, Newsham said. He thanked the tipster, who “averted a disaster here in our nation’s capitol.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser, standing alongside Newsham at the press conference, described the arrest as “a disturbing incident that was resolved quickly and peacefully.”
This post has been updated.
