Man in van filled with guns and explosives had 'intentions to cause harm': White Settlement police
WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - Police in a Fort Worth suburb say an eagle-eyed neighbor likely stopped a potentially dangerous situation from happening in a neighborhood.
Investigators are trying to determine why a man had several guns and explosive devices in a van he parked in a White Settlement neighborhood. Police say there were "intentions to cause harm."
Stacey King’s home surveillance video shows a van driving through his neighborhood on Jason Lane around 5 a.m. Tuesday.
About 30 minutes later after someone called 911 about the suspicious van being parked on the same street, police say they found the driver experiencing a mental health issue with a handgun in his lap.
Officers removed the man from the vehicle and found a rifle, AR-style pistol, body armor and two explosive devices.
"If you have that kind of stuff on you, you’re planning something," King said. "I mean, eventually, you’re thinking about it. I don’t see any other reason to have it."
White Settlement Police Det. Laura Gonzalez says the suspect was taken into custody and transported to a medical facility. Once criminal charges are filed, his name will be released.
"He did acknowledge to officers that those were improvised explosive devices," she said. "What we can say is that it appears he’s from Oklahoma."
Police say the man has family who lives in the neighborhood where he was parked.
"His intentions were to cause some harm," Gonzalez said. "His motives as to why? It is very unclear right now."
The police department is praising a neighbor’s decision to call 911.
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"Because that good Samaritan that called in something suspicious and wasn’t sure what was going on, officers were able to intervene quickly and prevent something that could’ve been really bad," Gonzalez said.
King saw the law enforcement presence Tuesday morning, which included the FBI and the ATF. He did not know how close his neighborhood may have come to terror until that afternoon.
"I had a buddy of mine call and tell me, ‘Glad you made it through. They found a bomb on your street,’" he recalled. "And so then, he was telling me about it. I’ve seen the weapons. Yeah, I’m thankful to be here."
The suspect is still in the hospital and has yet to be formally charged.