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Thread: Man with weapons and possible explosives arrested, was going to L.A. gay pride parade

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  1. #1
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Man with weapons and possible explosives arrested, was going to L.A. gay pride parade

    Man with weapons and possible explosives arrested, was going to L.A. gay pride parade, sources say



    Police confer Sunday around a white Acura, believed to be connected to the man who was arrested, on 11th street in Santa Monica. (Zahira Torres / Los Angeles Times)

    Joel Rubin and Hailey Branson Potts

    Authorities in Santa Monica found possible explosives as well as assault rifles and ammunition Sunday in the car of a man who told them he was in town for the L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood, a law enforcement source said.

    Early Sunday, Santa Monica police received a call of a suspected prowler near Olympic Boulevard and 11th Street. Patrol officers responded and encountered an individual who told officers he was waiting for a friend. That led officers to inspect the car and find several weapons and a lot of ammunition as well as tannerite, an ingredient that could be used to create a pipe bomb.

    The car had Indiana plates. The man made comments that he was in town for the Pride event in West Hollywood this weekend. The source said authorities did not know of any connection between the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday morning and the Santa Monica incident. The investigation has been taken over by the FBI. The source said the man appeared to be white.

    A city official in West Hollywood also confirmed the arrest and stressed that officials were beefing up security at the gay pride event.

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

    The parade comes hours after the attack at the Orlando club that killed 50 people. At least 53 were injured in the deadliest shooting in modern American history after a gunman took hostages. The gunman has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a U.S. law enforcement official said.

    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.

    The sources spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

    West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath said in a statement that Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials are stepping up security efforts around Sunday’s parade and other festivities. But she said officials do not believe there is any threat around Sunday’s activities.

    “We are hearing absolutely devastating news reports from Orlando this morning,” she said. “Gun violence on the LGBTQ family during Pride Month makes me sick. The deadliest mass shooting in America happened to LGBTQ people on Latin night. While we mourn this heartbreaking loss, we must also rededicate ourselves to the fight for full equality for all people. No one is equal unless everyone is equal.”

    A reporter for ProPublica tweeted out a Sheriff’s Department bulletin detailing the arrest.

    Times Staff Writers Zahira Torres and Frank Shyong contributed to this report.

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html




  2. #2
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    Trump is right with his ban on Muslim immigration into the US.

    But he needs to go further. I would like for him as some point in a broad announcement to denounce all immigration for a period of years. Personally, I want:

    10 to 20 Year Moratorium on All Immigration

    This does not apply to diplomats, legitimate business visitors or even tourists. It applies to people requesting to migrate to the US to live, to reside, to work, to suck. We don't need it, we don't want it. We can take care of ourselves. We don't need any more foreign nationals living and working in the United States. Emergency projects, quick in and out, sure but would be covered by legitimate business visitors.

    The rest of it ..... STOP IT ALL NOW.
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    This is going to be a bloody year in Europe and the USA. Our blood banks should probably start doing their blood donation drives.

    The UN, Obama and Merkel must be defunded and stopped NOW.

    No papers...no entry...no rights!

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    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    I also think that if you are a green card or visa holder, breed on our soil, and your child commits a serious crime in our country, then the child's citizenship is revoked, you lose your LPR status and the whole lot of you are removed and returned to your home country. It's one thing taking care of our own citizens and enduring all the wrongs that many of our own citizens commit against US, but this taking on these populations from other countries without impunity, this is absolute INSANITY.
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    Sounds like they caught someone before mayhem let loose. Unfortunately, this form of terrorism is just starting here in this country under Barack Obama.

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

    . . . 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.

    James Wesley Howell, 20. (Santa Monica Police Department)

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html
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    MW
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    Quote Originally Posted by joe s View Post
    Sounds like they caught someone before mayhem let loose. Unfortunately, this form of terrorism is just starting here in this country under Barack Obama.
    And perhaps not. I'll await some actual evidence before throwing out accusations of a wrong doing that didn't happen. Finding someone with assault weapons, ammunition, and "possible explosives" doesn't necessarily make them a terrorist. Just saying ......

    Is it possible the media is just making an attempt at throwing the heat off the fact that the Orlando shooter was a liberal voting Muslim??? Like I said, I'll await evidence that this guy was intent upon the destruction of human life because of a radical ideology.
    Last edited by MW; 06-12-2016 at 08:03 PM.

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Man found with weapons before L.A. pride parade has history of gun charges, records show


    James Wesley Howell, 20. (Santa Monica Police Department)



    Frank Shyong, Brittny Mejia, Zahira Torres and Richard Winton


    An Indiana man who told Santa Monica police he was on his way to the L.A. Pride parade in West Hollywood when he was found with with assault rifles and explosives-making materials in his car is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Tuesday, jail records show.

    The arrest of James Wesley Howell, 20, raised alarms hours after a gunman killed 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.


    Howell was taken into custody after officers found him seated in a car in Santa Monica with three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, ammunition and a 5-gallon bucket containing chemicals that can be used to make an improvised-explosive device Sunday. Jail records show he is being held on $500,000 bail and is scheduled to be in court Tuesday.


    Investigators are still trying to figure out Howell’s intentions, but don’t believe there is a connection between the incident and the Orlando massacre.


    Man with weapons was headed to L.A. gay pride parade

    Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks initially said on Twitter that during the arrest, the suspect told one of her officers “of wanting to harm Gay Pride event.”

    But Lt. Saul Rodriguez, a Santa Monica police spokesman, said later that the tweet was a misstatement and that Seabrooks had been given incorrect information. Howell told investigators that he was going to the Pride festival but did not make additional statements about his intentions, Rodriguez said.


    Howell was booked on charges that include possession of a firearm, possession of an improvised-explosive device and possession of high-capacity magazines, Rodriguez said.


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


    Authorities considered canceling the annual L.A. Pride parade but decided to proceed Sunday morning under tightened security, including undercover officers in the crowd, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.


    Live updates: Orlando terror attack »


    Santa Monica police received a call about 5 a.m. Sunday of someone knocking on a resident’s door and window near Olympic Boulevard and 11th Street.


    Patrol officers arrived to find Howell seated in a white Acura with Indiana plates, with a rifle visible on the seat, Rodriguez said.


    A law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the contents of the bucket found in the car included Tannerite, an ingredient that could be used to create explosives.


    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.




    Howell was charged in October 2015 with intimidation with a deadly weapon and pointing a loaded firearm at another person, according to Indiana court and police records.

    Howell allegedly pointed a gun at two people, according to reports released by the Charlestown Police Department.


    In the first case, on Oct. 14, an ex-boyfriend alleged that Howell had pointed an AR-style rifle at him, though Howell denied that and said he had kept the gun up on his shoulder. Howell was arrested the next day after neighbors called police to report that Howell had pointed a gun at one of them.


    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 while he was on probation.


    Reached by phone Sunday, Howell’s ex-boyfriend Richard Hambrick said Howell had at least four firearms.


    “He likes his guns,” Hambrick said.


    Howell’s friend and fellow car club member Joseph Greeson, 18, said Howell was bisexual and didn’t harbor any ill will towards 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.


    Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, said the bureau is conducting a joint investigation with Santa Monica police.


    Two law enforcement sources said Howell could face federal charges in connection with the guns and potential explosive materials recovered from the vehicle.


    They cautioned that Howell had said little to investigators while in custody other than that he planned to attend the gay pride parade.


    The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.


    Howell, according to a law enforcement source, has an outstanding warrant from Kentucky.


    Kentucky Court records show he has a pending criminal case in the county that includes Louisville and a court appearance next month.


    A Facebook page under Howell’s name 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 white Acura cars similar to the one found in Santa Monica, with a couple of videos taken from inside cars. A 10-second video on the page includes gunfire, with shots striking grass.


    Some posts are political, including one in which Hillary Clinton is compared to Adolf Hitler.

    Another repeats conspiracy theories that the government was behind notorious terrorist attacks, including Sept. 11, 2001. In that post is a video claiming that the 2015 terror attack on the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was a hoax and attributable to the “New World Order.”


    As police searched the white Acura on Sunday, items including a green blanket and red gasoline canister could be seen piled on the sidewalk next to the car.


    Also visible were a security-style badge, two gun magazines held together with rubber bands, a rifle scope, boxes of ammunition and court papers from the Louisville area.

    The car’s Indiana license plate had the logo of the National Rifle Assn., a specialty plate offered in that state.


    The events in Orlando and Santa Monica cast a shadow over the L.A. Pride celebration, though thousands still attended.


    City officials and civic leaders began the parade with a moment of silence and speeches calling for the occasion to serve as a rallying cry and a refutation to the violence.


    Alonso Pina, 25, said news of the Orlando shooting and the Santa Monica arrest caused him to look over his shoulder and keep closer eye on the parade crowd, but he never considered staying home.

    “It's definitely not a happy pride, it's a sad pride,” he said. “If something happens, it happened when I was showing my pride.”


    Rebecca Carr, 23, said she felt it was important to attend, even though her mother heard about the Santa Monica arrest and told her not to to go.


    "I said, 'We need each other. That can't stop me,'" said Carr, who is bisexual. "We need to know we're all here for each other."

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

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  9. #9
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Man bound for L.A. Pride with guns, ammo and explosive chemicals is formally charged


    Authorities investigate the scene along 11th Street in Santa Monica, where a car was found with weapons, ammunition and other suspicious items. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)


    Richard Winton, Joseph Serna and Veronica Rocha


    An Indiana man who police said was bound for the L.A. Pride festival in a car loaded with weapons, ammunition and explosive chemicals was formally charged Tuesday and requested held on $2-million bail.

    The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office filed three felony charges against James Wesley Howell, 20, as well as one misdemeanor charge, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Sean Carney.


    The felony charges were possession of explosives on a highway, possession of an assault weapon and possession of high-capacity magazines. The misdemeanor charge was possession of a firearm in a car.


    Howell faces up to nine years and four months in prison if convicted on all charges.


    Although Howell’s arrest triggered a local panic when Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks mistakenly tweeted that Howell intended to “harm” the L.A. Pride festival in nearby West Hollywood, authorities later determined that this was not the case.


    They also ruled out the possibility that he was connected to the slaying of 49 clubgoers at a gay nightspot in Florida just hours earlier.


    A bail deviation filing obtained by The Times shows that along with the weapons and explosive chemicals in the car, Howell had a black hood, a taser, handcuffs, a Buck knife, a security badge and additional ammunition for the guns. There was also a five-gallon container of gasoline.


    Police said Howell has no known ties to California and that he admitted to officers that he fled the state “due to his concerns over existing or pending criminal charges by the state.”


    According to court documents, Howell was in possession of a 25-pound container of “Shoc-shot,” a commercially sold two-component explosive that detonates when hit by a high-velocity rifle round. Santa Monica police said that the container was three-fifths full and that the explosive chemicals had already been combined.


    “The amount of explosives in the container would have posed a grave danger to both persons and property had the explosives been detonated, either intentionally or accidentally,” wrote Santa Monica Police Detective Derek Leone.


    The assault rifle Howell had in his white Acura was described as an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223 caliber rifle, with two 30-round magazines taped together for quick reloading.

    “This rifle is an AR-style assault weapon,” Leone wrote.


    The two other rifles in Howell’s car were a loaded .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle and a .22 caliber Ruger semiautomatic rifle.


    A restraining order against Howell in Indiana prohibits him from possessing firearms, the report states.


    James Wesley Howell, 20. (Santa Monica Police Department)


    On Monday evening, the FBI and police executed a search warrant at Howell’s Indiana residence, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
    Authorities in Kentucky have also revoked Howell’s bail in a pending felony case in which he is accused of evading police.

    On Tuesday, prosecutors asked that a judge increase his bail amount from $500,000 to $2 million on the grounds that he posed a “significant danger to the community” and was a flight risk.


    Howell’s past includes instances of armed intimidation and conflicts with law enforcement.


    Man found with weapons before L.A. pride parade has history of gun charges, records show »


    “The boy was young and dumb and had a mouth on him,” said Jeremy Hebert, a former Indiana neighbor who was once threatened at gunpoint by Howell, according to court documents.


    Howell was arrested just before 5 a.m. Sunday in the 1700 block of 11th Street in Santa Monica. A resident there had called police to say that a prowler had knocked on their front door and window.


    Officers had arrived to find Howell sitting in his white Acura. Upon searching the vehicle officers discovered three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, ammunition and a bucket containing “chemicals capable of forming an improvised explosive device,” police said.


    Howell was arrested by Santa Monica police on suspicion of possessing an explosive device, possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle and possessing high-capacity magazines.


    According to Eimiller, Howell “remains in state custody while investigators consult with prosecutors at the district attorney’s office in Los Angeles and the United States attorney’s office to determine whether Mr. Howell will be charged at either the state or federal level in relation to the weapons and other items found in his vehicle.”


    Robert Boyd, Howell’s attorney in a Kentucky criminal case, told The Times on Monday that his client’s father and mother are struggling to get details about their son’s latest arrest.

    “His family is shocked to learn about the situation,” he said.


    Initially, Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said on Twitter that Howell told one of her officers after he was arrested that he wanted “to harm” the gay pride event. A department spokesman said later that the tweet was a misstatement and that although Howell told investigators he was going to the Pride festival, he did not make additional statements about his intentions.


    Howell’s family is “fully cooperating” with federal investigators, according to Boyd.


    He added that Howell’s family was concerned about the Santa Monica Police Department spreading “misinformation” about their son’s arrest.


    Details about the case, Boyd said, “may have been blown out of proportion.”


    “They are very interested to find out the true facts of the case,” he said.

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...nap-story.html

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  10. #10
    MW
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    Still no evidence that he intended on shooting or blowing up anyone.

    "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" ** Edmund Burke**

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