Gun-toting man with rounds of ammo arrested near US Capitol

Washington DC – A West Virginia senior citizen with a gun and a list of congressional members in his car was arrested as he marched alone down a Washington street near the US Capitol, authorities said Thursday.

Dennis Westover (71) said he wanted to see the barricades around "my Capitol."
Dennis Westover (71) said he wanted to see the barricades around "my Capitol."  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Dennis Westover (71) of South Charleston told police he was convinced of election fraud in the November victory of President Joe Biden when he made the six-hour, 365-mile drive to the nation's capital.

He was arrested Wednesday afternoon just a few hundred feet from an entrance to the Rayburn House Office building on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition – 20 rounds of 9 mm bullets along with a 9 mm Sig Sauer handgun.

Westover was walking and shouting, "I wanted to see the fence that was around my Capitol" before officers took him into custody, according to the police. And he told police, "the process I am engaged in is righteous, justice and truth," according to law enforcement documents.

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Officers described the suspect as cooperative during his arrest and subsequent interview. He was released Thursday after pleading not guilty in DC Superior Court.

When asked if there was a gun in the vehicle, Westover acknowledged there was a handgun in the center console, police said. The suspect was arrested and transported to DC police headquarters for processing.

According to police documents, Westover’s birth certificate and will were found inside his car along with "Stop The Steal" paperwork. The vehicle was abandoned in the middle of the intersection of Second Street and Washington Avenue SW around 2:00 p.m.

Westover apparently attended the January 6 Donald Trump rally-turned-riot in Washington – with photos posted on his fiancee’s Facebook page.

"On our way to the Trump MAGA Rally in DC with our friends – poet(s), ministers, contractors, and fellow Patriots," the woman wrote.

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

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