Police seize guns from San Diego man said to be arming himself against a government takeover

Rancho Peñasquitos resident also placed on psychiatric hold

By JENNIFER VAN GROVE
APRIL 25, 2020 12:27 PM

San Diego police confiscated three unregistered shotguns from a 52-year-old Rancho Peñasquitos man who is alleged to have made threatening social media posts relating to the pandemic.

The man, who police and a mental health professional deemed was a danger to others, was also placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold. The man, whose name was not released, had been reported to police after telling family and friends he was arming himself against a government takeover.

“Stress from the COVID-19 public health crisis is exacerbating anxiety and mental health struggles for many,” City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a statement. “Thanks to public vigilance, police were able to safely intervene and remove firearms from someone who presented a danger to himself and others before he resorted to violence.”

According to authorities, the man told police that Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the government were using the novel coronavirus to scare people into getting a vaccine that would allow them to be tracked by 5G towers.

The respondent’s behavior during a home visit was described as “aggressive” and “confrontational.”

“People are going to try and get me and I need to defend myself!” the man is said to have told officers.

Elliott’s office said it obtained a gun violence restraining order against the resident, who is on probation for a drunken driving conviction and prohibited from owning firearms until 2025.

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