Police arrested a man armed with a handgun, knife and pepper spray early Wednesday morning near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home.
“At approximately 1:50 a.m. today, a man was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh’s residence. The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh,” the Supreme Court confirmed in a Wednesday statement, CNBC reported
“He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District,” the Supreme Court said.
Sources familiar with the investigation into the incident told The Washington Post that police arrested the would-be attacker in a nearby street before he could venture into Kavanaugh’s property.
Police arrested the suspect after a currently unknown individual tipped authorities off that the man could pose a threat to Kavanaugh.
The man was angry over the recently leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion, which suggested that the nation’s highest court could overturn Roe v. Wade, two individuals familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
He was also upset over the recent string of mass shootings, the sources said.
While the man’s name was not released, according to sources in law enforcement, the man was in his 20s and hailed from California, Fox News reported.
As of this time, no charges were filed, law enforcement sources said.
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The Montgomery County Police Department did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals told CNBC and Fox News that the agency is looking into the matter.
News of the incident comes after the Department of Homeland Security warned Tuesday that the nation could face more violence ahead of the Supreme Court decision on abortion.
“Given a high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case about abortion rights, individuals who advocate both for and against abortion have, on public forums, encouraged violence, including against government, religious and reproductive healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as those with opposing ideologies,” the agency wrote.
In recent months, pro-abortion activists have carried out firebombings of pro-life healthcare centers and have carried out demonstrations near the homes of Supreme Court Justices believed to be pro-life in an effort to force them to reconsider their stances.
In light of the protests near and doxxing of Supreme Court Justices’ addresses, the Department of Justice said that the U.S. Marshals were providing “around-the-clock security” to the homes of all nine justices, CNBC reported.
