A West Virginia man with a handgun and 20 rounds of ammunition was arrested near the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday.
Dennis Westover, 71, was arrested after a U.S. Capitol Police officer saw him park his vehicle in the middle of the intersection of Second Street and Washington Avenue SW, which is located outside the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
The officer contacted Westover and asked him if he had a gun inside the vehicle. He told the officer about the gun and ammunition, the Capitol Police said in a Thursday news release. The weapon was a .9 mm Sig Sauer handgun, according to the Hill.
The South Charleston, West Virginia, resident was charged with carrying a handgun without a license, the possession of unregistered ammunition, and the unlawful possession of a firearm.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Capitol Police for more information about the arrest but did not immediately receive a response.
Heightened security remains in place after a mob of rioters laid siege to U.S. Capitol following a rally by former President Donald Trump near the White House. The incursion led to the deaths of five people, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, and wounded dozens more. The FBI said Tuesday that investigators have identified more than 400 suspects from the siege of Congress and 135 arrests.
Macias Santiago, a 37-year-old from Texas, was arrested last week in Washington, D.C., after authorities said he admitted to having a gun in his vehicle following a request to a bike patrol officer for “information” about the Oval Office. A search of his pickup truck revealed an unlicensed firearm and nearly 80 rounds of ammunition.
