A Georgia man who claimed he wanted to drop documents off at the Supreme Court on Wednesday was arrested for carrying guns on US Capitol grounds, according to authorities.
Tony Payne, 80, allegedly had the prohibited weapons inside his small white van, which was illegally parked along the 100 block of East Capitol Street at around 3:45 p.m., US Capitol Police said.
Officers took the driver into custody after he admitted to having guns with him, police said.
Two handguns and a shotgun were found inside the van, police said.
Authorities initially considered the van a “suspicious vehicle” and surrounded the vehicle while closing down streets around the Capitol and Supreme Court for hours.
Cops also discovered a pipe during a search of the van before it was ultimately cleared.
Another man and a woman were also in the vehicle, and were briefly detained, but were not arrested, police said.
The group told investigators they were there to deliver documents to the Supreme Court, police said, though it unclear what the specific papers were.
Payne faces charges connected to possessing an unregistered firearm, possessing unregistered ammunition and carrying a pistol without a license, police said.
With Post wires