The media will ignore the fact that this man was reportedly on his way to “harm gays” or that he appears to be a Bernie Sanders supporter. The media and Democrats will instead, be laser focused on the weapons and ammunition that were found in his possession. Democrats and other gun-control fanatics should be reminded that they are just inanimate objects until they end up in the hands of unstable Bernie Sanders supporters…

Authorities on Sunday were trying to determine the intentions of an Indiana man with a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosive-making materials in his car and apparent plans to attend the L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood.

Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said on Twitter that the 20-year-old man told one of her officers after he was arrested that he wanted “to harm Gay Pride event.” But she did not provide any details, and officials said they are still trying to sort out his motives.

Police identified him as James Wesley Howell of Indiana. A Facebook page for someone with the same name in Indiana shows a young man posing next to a white Acura with the same license plate as the car searched in Santa Monica for the weapons and explosives.

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, police stressed they were still trying to figure out what Howell planned to do with the weapons.

Howell’s friend and fellow car club member Joseph Greeson, 18, said Howell didn’t harbor any ill will toward gays or lesbians.

Greeson said Howell’s family in Jeffersonville hadn’t seen him for days and that his parents had called Greeson’s parents looking for him.

He added that Howell was known to have a gun collection.

According to Indiana court records, Howell was charged in October 2015 with intimidation and felony pointing a firearm at another person. On April 19, Howell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor intimidation, and prosecutors dropped the pointing a firearm charge. Court records show he was sentenced to a year in state prison and placed on probation. Under the deal, He agreed to forfeit all weapons during his term of probation.

Oct 21, 2015- Around 11:17 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, Charlestown Police Department officers were dispatched to Winthrop Drive to investigate a report of James W. Howell, 19, pointing a gun at his neighbors, according to a police report.

When the officers arrived, the neighbors pointed out Howell, who was then handcuffed until the officers could determine the nature of the allegations. While doing so, one officer noticed a Smith and Wesson handgun sticking out of the back waistband of his pants, which the officer secured in his car.

One of the neighbors who reportedly had the gun pointed at him told officers he, his wife and several other neighbors and friends had been sitting on the porch having beers and discussing his cat being poisoned several months ago. At that point, a woman who lives at Howell’s residence with her husband, who was on the porch, came around from the back of the house yelling that they were talking about her and calling her names. An argument ensued between the woman and the complainant, and Howell went into his residence and returned with a gun, witnesses said.

The complainant said Howell pointed the gun at him and his wife, who said she would call the police. Howell withdrew the gun and went into the house.

The officers said that the other complainants and witness stories were consistent and none seemed intoxicated. Two of them referred to an incident earlier in the day in which Howell had pointed his gun at his boyfriend. A report was taken after this incident as well.

“James is going to get someone hurt,” one witness said. “He needs to stop pointing guns at people.”

James Wesley Howell Facebook picture
James Wesley Howell photo from Facebook

Federal and local law enforcement decided against canceling the annual parade, which went forward Sunday morning under tightened security. Investigators are now trying to piece together what happened but said they don’t believe there is any connection between the incident and the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that killed at least 50 people overnight.

Early Sunday, Santa Monica police received a call about a suspected prowler who was knocking on a resident’s door and window about 5 a.m. in the 1700 block of 11th Street, Santa Monica police said. Patrol officers responded and encountered Howell, who was sitting in a car registered in Indiana, police said. Officers inspected the car and found three assault rifles, high-capacity ammunition and a five-gallon bucket containing “chemicals capable of forming an improvised explosive device,” police said.

A law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the contents of the bucket included tannerite, an ingredient that could be used to create a pipe bomb. The maker of the material said that was not the case and that it can only be detonated by high-velocity impact such as a bullet strike. But tannerite is known as a material used in the construction of other types of explosive devices.

The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation, said authorities also found camouflage clothing in the car.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said the suspect told police he was going to the Pride parade to look for a friend. Authorities were looking for that individual.

Santa Monica police spokesman Saul Rodriguez said detectives are “not aware of what the suspect’s intentions were at this point.”

Santa Monica police continued to search the suspect’s white Acura on Sunday morning. All four of the car’s doors were open and a green blanket, red gasoline canister and several other smaller items were being piled on the sidewalk next to it. The car’s license plate included a symbol of the National Rifle Assn. on the left side and the bottom said, “Teaching Freedom.”

A Facebook page for Howell said he attended high school in Louisville, Ky., and lives in Jeffersonville, Ind., where he works for an air filtration company. A car enthusiast, Howell posted numerous photographs of the Acura along with a couple of videos taken from inside cars. Another 10-second video includes gunfire, with shots striking grass.

james wesley howell post FB

Here is the comment James Wesley Howell made under the pro-Bernie Sanders meme:

James Wesely Howell Fb comment

The site includes political posts, including one in which he compares Hillary Clinton to Adolf Hitler. In another, he repeats conspiracy theories that the government was behind notorious terrorist attacks, including Sept. 11, 2011. That post shares a video claiming that last year’s terror attack on the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was a hoax and attributable to the “New World Order.”

“They found him with weapons that were very disconcerting,” said one source, adding officials are “taking the appropriate safety precautions.”

One source in West Hollywood said there was discussion of calling off the parade but that officials decided to go forward, with heavy security including undercover officers in the crowd. Via: LA Times

 

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