Police in Washington, D.C., have arrested a man near the U.S. Capitol who they say had a 9mm pistol and 20 rounds of ammunition in his car. The man has been identified as Dennis Westover, 71, from West Virginia, according to court documents. He is a MAGA supporter, and previously shared on social media that he had attended the Trump rally on January 6 that preceded the Capitol insurrection, according to The Daily Beast. Westover was taken into custody on Wednesday after police noticed his car stopped in the middle of an intersection. He had left the vehicle and was walking along the roadway a few hundred yards from the U.S. Capitol building when he was stopped by authorities. He was near the Rayburn House Office building—a location frequently used by the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been charged with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of unregistered ammunition, and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Capitol Police. Westover reportedly had “Stop the Steal” paperwork in his car with a list of Senators, Representatives, and their contact info in his car, according to court documents acquired by VICE News. Westover told police he believed there were “polar extremes of opinion in this nation” and that election fraud had occurred. “The process I am engaged in is righteousness, justice, and truth,” Westover told police, according to court documents.His arrest comes on the heels of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, in which Trump supporters broke into the building, forcing lawmakers into hiding for several hours. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer. Since then, there has been an expanded security presence around government buildings in Washington. Barbed wire and an influx of security personnel have been stationed across government property.About two hours before Westover’s arrest, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a bulletin warning that with the increase of “domestic violence extremists (DVEs),” the public should be on heightened alert. “Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence.”Westover was seemingly a vocal supporter of the MAGA campaign, according to a Facebook presence that includes COVID-19 denial and “Stop the Steal” content. “On our way to the Trump MAGA Rally in DC with our friends - poet, ministers, contractors and fellow Patriots - Lee and Katrina Forbes,” a Facebook post reads from Jan. 6, with pictures of Westover.
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