Police in Fife, Washington, seized a cache of weapons and arrested a man after a witness reported that the man was suspicious. But one group of items they found was as alarming as the weapons.
Officials noted that some of the weapons seized were fully automatic “machine guns.”
In a post on X, the department posted several photos of the items taken into custody, according to the News Tribune.
“On Wed. Oct 4th, Fife PD officers and detectives recovered multiple stolen guns, machine guns, magazines and other items from a felon — thwarting unknown future crimes. Thank you to the observant person who reported the suspicious behavior. Charges are pending,” the police wrote on their post.
On Wed. Oct 4th, Fife PD officers and detectives recovered multiple stolen guns, machine guns, magazines and other items from a felon – thwarting unknown future crimes. Thank you to the observant person who reported the suspicious behavior. Charges are pending. pic.twitter.com/CxIASMmnMS
— Fife Police Dept. (@FifePD) October 19, 2023
The Fife Police Dept. said that the suspect had taken his car to an auto glass replacement shop. A shop employee then called officers after they observed loose firearms lying inside the car and several bullet holes that they felt were made from a firearm being shot from inside the car.
Once officials received the tip, they began researching the man in question and discovered he is a convicted felon.
Officers then obtained a search warrant for the man’s home and discovered the weapons, tactical equipment, military items, and three “life masks” that when worn can make a wearer convincingly look like a different person.
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The photo of the cache of items showed a black tactical mask as well as a bulletproof vest.
The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office reported having charged a 39-year-old man on Oct. 6 with six counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a machine gun and possessing an explosive device.
The man also reportedly entered a plea of not guilty and a Pierce County Superior Court commissioner set his bail at $150,000.
Neither the suspect’s name nor further information on his case have been released publicly.
Perhaps some of the more alarming items are the life masks. With these realistic masks, the suspect could potentially have completely concealed his identity while in the commission of a crime.
Police in Pittsburgh also recently encountered a suspect using one of these realistic silicone masks when a man entered a restaurant and made a bomb threat in 2019.
CREEPY! Police say a #Pittsburgh area man wore this realistic mask & passed a note at a Bob Evans restaurant containing a bomb threat against two local schools. Officers say he wanted them to respond to the threat so he could rob a nearby bank. MORE: https://t.co/pe4tEnVU0w pic.twitter.com/IJArAeivAz
— KDKA (@KDKA) October 22, 2019
The man later identified as 35-year-old Luke Dell was reportedly attempting to misdirect police to respond to a bomb threat at two local North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, schools so that he could more easily rob a bank in the area.
The man was arrested before attempting the robbery after a bystander reported what he was driving and police spotted the vehicle.
These situations are the perfect example of why we have a Second Amendment right to protect ourselves from people who are gathering items seemingly for the sole purpose of causing mayhem among our communities.
Our founders were brilliant enough to give us the legal rights the help keep order and maintain our freedom. It is up to us to take advantage of those tools.