Joseph Stravinskas, 27, was apparently preparing to shoot at cans in a wooded area off President Obama’s motorcade route when he was arrested.
A man wielding a pellet rifle was arrested off President Obama’s motorcade route in Bloomfield, Connecticut, on Monday.
Joseph Stravinskas, 27, was apparently preparing to target shoot in a wooded area off the road Obama would use to return to Bradley International Airport after giving a speech on gun control.
An initial report erroneously said the man had pulled the weapon as Obama’s motorcade had passed.
Bloomfield Police Captain Stephen Hajdasz told the Daily News that the president was, in fact, still at the University of Hartford when the arrest took place.
JASON REED/REUTERS
President Obama arrives at Bradley Air National Guard Base in Hartford, Connecticut. Obama was in Connecticut to deliver remarks on measures to reduce gun violence at the University of Hartford.
A police officer posted along the route had heard branches rustling off the road, which had been reopened to traffic after Obama’s motorcade passed through the first time.
Stravinskas, who is homeless, was apparently preparing to shoot at cans when he was approached by police.
A police statement said Stravinskas “turned toward the officer dropping his aim but not dropping the weapon resulting in the weapon being pointed in the direction of the officers.”
SUSAN WALSH/ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Obama hugs Newtown family members after calling for new gun control laws at the University of Hartford on Monday.
“He initially wasn’t compliant,” Hajdasz said.
Stravinskas eventually cooperated, but was arrested and charged with breach of peace in the second degree, threatening in the second degree and interfering with a police officer.
He was held on a $15,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.
JOSH REYNOLDS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Obama shakes hands with the husband of slain school psychologist Mary Sherlach before boarding Air Force One as the parents of murdered six-year-old Ben Wheeler stand by.
Secret Service later interviewed the man at the police station, Hajdasz said.
He added that there was no evidence that Stravinskas’ presence in the area had anything to do with the presidential motorcade.
Obama was making his latest call for tighter gun control in the state where 20 children and six educators were gunned down in their classrooms in December.
Obama was joined by relatives of the slain Sandy Hook Elementary School students and teachers at the University of Hartford as he urged Americans to demand that Congress hold a vote on “common-sense” gun control measures.
After his speech, Obama traveled back to Washington on Air Force One with 12 family members of Sandy Hook victims.
The grieving relatives are expected to lobby senators in memory of their loved ones on Tuesday, as the chamber is scheduled to begin debate on gun control legislation.
Read more: NY Daily News
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