Armed man’s car searched by bomb squad

Capitol Police arrested a man for allegedly possessing two long guns, three handguns, and one sword in his vehicle Tuesday afternoon just blocks from the Capitol.

{mosads}Timothy Whitfeld, 49, stopped and asked an officer for directions and, believing something was suspicious, the officer conducted a traffic stop, according to Sgt. Kim Schneider, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police.

“The officer in conversation with the driver of the vehicle thought that there may be something suspicious about the vehicle,” Schneider said, though she did not elaborate on what the suspicion was.

The Capitol Police bomb squad searched the white SUV and, not finding any hazardous materials, they deemed it safe. The search closed down a section of Pennsylvania Avenue between First Street and Third Street for about one hour.

The area is open for traffic again and Whitfeld, a native of Long Beach, Calif., was taken to police headquarters for processing. The vehicle and the weapons have been taken over by crime scene investigators. He is charged with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of unregistered ammunition, and possession of unregistered firearm.