A man accused of having guns and 90 rounds of ammunition in his car was arrested inside Trump International Hotel early Wednesday after D.C. police and the Secret Service received a tip about him.
Bryan Moles, 43, of Edinboro, Pennsylvania, was arrested after police found he had an assault rifle, a handgun and ammunition in his car in a parking garage at the hotel in downtown D.C., authorities said.
"The officers and our federal partners, and in particular the tipster coming forward, averted a potential disaster in our nation's capital," said D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham.
Moles was arrested inside the hotel shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, police said. He is charged with carrying a pistol without a license and possession of unregistered ammunition.
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D.C. Police and the Secret Service acted on a "report of a potential threat against Secret Service protectees," a statement from the Secret Service said. The agency soon determined that protectees were never at risk.
It's not immediately clear what Moles' intentions were. It wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney.
Authorities learned Moles was traveling to Washington, D.C. with the weapons and ammunition about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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D.C. police and the U.S. Secret Service "almost simultaneously" received information from Pennsylvania State Police that a man was traveling to D.C., possibly to Trump International Hotel, armed with weapons, Newsham said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Pennsylvania State Police received the information via a tip and shared it quickly, Newsham said.
D.C. police and the Secret Service responded and contacted hotel security, who found the suspect's vehicle in the parking garage. Police found one of the guns in plain view inside the suspect's car; the other was found in the glove compartment, authorities said.
Moles had checked himself in to the hotel about 1 a.m., Newsham said. Authorities found Moles inside the hotel and arrested him.
The Trump International Hotel issued a statement saying that the guest had been "behaving suspiciously."
"This morning, the authorities arrested a guest who was behaving suspiciously. The matter is under investigation, therefore it would be inappropriate for us to provide additional details," the statement said.
The hotel did not respond to an inquiry about whether a valet may have seen a weapon in the suspect's car.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the incident "disturbing" but said it was resolved "quickly and peacefully."
"Today's incident is an important reminder that when you see something, it is important to say something to an official," Bowser said.
