The United States Capitol Police seal appears on the side of a bus parked near the headquarters on February 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Capitol police arrested a man outside of the U.S. Capitol on Friday morning with a fake badge, body armor and ammunitions.
Driving the news: Retired New York police officer Jerome Felipe, 53, was arrested after officers found a BB gun, two ballistic vests, several high-capacity magazines, and other ammunition in his car, Capitol police said in a announced.
- Felipe, who is from Flint, Michigan, also presented officers with a fake badge that said "Department of the INTERPOL."
- Officers did not find any real guns in Felipe's car.
- USCP said they are currently investigating the reason Felipe was parked near the Capitol.
What's next: Felipe faces charges for unlawful possession of high-capacity magazines and unregistered ammunition.
The big picture: Capitol police have reported an increasing number of threats against lawmakers over the years.
- At a January congressional hearing, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger called for a new agency to investigate and respond to increasing threats. There were more than 9,000 threats against members of Congress in 2021 alone, he said at the hearing.