A Virginia man arrested with a gun near the White House over the weekend was ordered detained by a Washington, D.C., Superior Court judge on Monday.
Matthew Taylor Bruce of Amelia County, Va., was taken into custody on Saturday for illegally possessing a handgun close to White House grounds.
Recommended Stories
Around 1:15 p.m. Saturday, police spotted Bruce walking in the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Officers said they noticed a pistol sticking out of the top of his pants. The suspect was wearing a face mask at the time of the incident, possibly because he had participated in the Million Mask March that day.
Officers demanded Bruce put his hands behind his back and stop proceeding toward them, but the suspect refused, asking, “What for?”
The arrest affidavit stated police struggled to take Bruce down after he fought them and yelled expletives. Once detained, law enforcement found a Smith & Wesson handgun loaded with 10 bullets tucked into his waistband.
The suspect told police he believed it was his “constitutional right to carry a pistol anywhere.” It’s unclear whether Bruce knew it is illegal to carry a firearm on White House property.
Bruce is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Thursday.
