A Virginia man was arrested Friday when he tried to enter a restricted area near the U.S. Capitol with unauthorized credentials, a loaded handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, according to police.
Wesley Allen Beeler of Front Royal, Virginia, was stopped by U.S. Capitol Police at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to a police report. He had driven up a security checkpoint at the intersection of E Street and North Capitol Street, about a half-mile from the Capitol building.
The arrest came at a time of high alert in Washington as it prepares for Wednesday’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Barriers have been erected, streets closed and thousands of police and National Guardsmen deployed after supporters of President Donald Trump overran the Capitol on Jan. 6, when lawmakers were meeting to officially recognize Biden’s win.