WASHINGTON – Police at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday arrested a Georgia man who they say had several guns in his van and claimed to be in Washington to deliver documents to the Supreme Court.
Tony H. Payne, 80, of Tunnel Hill, Georgia, was arrested on charges of possessing an unregistered firearm, possessing unregistered ammunition, and carrying a pistol without a license. His arrest came after police surrounded his van — which officials said was illegally parked — and shut down several streets around the Capitol and Supreme Court for hours.
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Police said Payne’s van came to their attention shortly before 4 p.m. as a “suspicious vehicle” that was illegally parked on Capitol grounds.
Police initially detained Payne and two other people when Payne admitted to having guns in the white van. The other two people were released without charges.
Inside the van, police found two handguns and a shotgun, authorities said.
The people detained by police told investigators they “were here to deliver documents to the U.S. Supreme Court,” police said. Investigators conducted an extensive search of the van after they found “a pipe and containers” inside, but the vehicle was eventually cleared.