Man arrested for carrying machete, knife outside US Capitol
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The United States Capitol Police (USCP) said it arrested a man who was carrying a machete and a knife outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday.
“This is another example of the vigilance and strong intuition of our USCP officers,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. “I am proud of our cops who routinely work to keep everyone around the U.S. Capitol safe.”
USCP said that on Tuesday at about 4:15 p.m., officers saw a man pacing, and then sitting on a ledge on the east side of the U.S. Capitol.
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After seeing how strange the man was behaving, an officer approached the man. While speaking to the man, the officer saw a brick in his pocket.
The officer asked him to toss the brick to the side. He complied and the man also pulled out a knife and placed it on the ledge.
Police then noticed the handle of a machete under the man’s clothes. The officer drew his service weapon and ordered the man to put his hands up. The man complied and officers were able to safely take the machete away from the man and arrest him.
The suspect has been identified as 23-year-old Jose Leonardo Marquez with no fixed address.
As of now, there’s no evidence that Marquez was targeting Members of Congress.
He is being charged with Carrying a Dangerous Weapon and Possession of a Prohibited Weapon.
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