News

Actions

2 armed open carry advocates arrested inside Michigan police station

Posted
and last updated

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Two men wearing body armor and carrying firearms and cameras have been arrested at a suburban Detroit police headquarters in a confrontation livestreamed on the internet.

Dearborn police say one of the men wore a ski-type mask on Sunday and initially refused to drop the weapons.

Twenty-four-year-old James Baker of Leonard and 40-year-old Brandon Vreeland of Jackson face charges including breaching the peace and failure to cooperate.

Vreeland tells the Detroit Free Press state law allows them to openly carry legally owned weapons. He says they “audit police to see how well they honor the Constitution and people’s rights.”

The men used cellphones to record the encounter. One man said in the recording they went to the station to complain about a traffic stop.

Both men are free on bond.