Man arrested in D.C. with guns, ammo is private security guard, family says

A man arrested in Washington, D.C., on Friday while in possession of an allegedly unregistered handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition is a private security guard, his family told media on Saturday. 

U.S. Capitol Police on Friday stopped Wesley Beeler at a checkpoint near the Capitol grounds and questioned him while he was in his vehicle. Beeler presented an "unauthorized inauguration credential," authorities claimed. He also admitted to having a firearm in his vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed over 500 rounds of 9mm ammunition as well as shotgun shells. 

Amid media reports of what initially appeared to be a major security threat, Beeler's family told the Washington Post that Beeler is "an Air Force veteran and a private security contractor who had been reporting for work in downtown Washington throughout the past week."

The items found by police in Beeler's possession "are things he needed for his armed security work," his father told the paper. 

Beeler reportedly face multiple charges, including possessing a handgun in D.C. without having registered it first. D.C. requires the registration of firearms, though Virginia does not. 

Law enforcement have effectively closed off the White House, Capitol Hill and surrounding D.C. streets over concerns of armed protests through the weekend until Wednesday, Jan. 20, which is Inauguration Day for incoming President Joe Biden.

Over 25,000 National Guardsmen will be part of a massive security detail, which is in part a response to the U.S. Capitol Building riot of Jan. 6.