US Capitol Police arrest man with body armor, high-capacity ammo and fake Interpol badge
U.S. Capitol Police has arrested a retired, 15-year NYPD veteran near the U.S. Capitol Friday after he was found with a fake Interpol badge, body armor, high-capacity magazines and a BB gun.
Parked in his car on the Capitol’s west side, 53-year-old Jerome Felipe began speaking with a capitol police patrol officer just before 5 a.m., authorities said. After presenting a fake badge that read “Department of the INTERPOL” and claiming he was a criminal investigator for the international law enforcement agency, Felipe gave officers permission to search his 2017 Dodge Challenger, police said in a statement.
In the car, capitol police officers discovered a BB gun, two ballistic vests, high-capacity magazines, and other ammunition, but no real guns, the agency said.
Felipe, who police say now resides in Flint, Mich., began working as a New York City police officer in 2003 and retired in 2018, according to NYPD records.
The NYPD said they are “fully cooperating” with the investigation and referred any questions to the U.S. Capitol Police.
Felipe’s motivations for being near the Capitol are still being investigated, according to capitol police.
He is facing charges for unlawful possession of high-capacity magazines and unregistered ammo, capitol police said.
