Man carrying daggers and accelerants arrested at 9/11 memorial event in Apex
A man who was attending a 9/11 memorial event in Apex on Saturday morning, and was found to be carrying weapons, was taken into custody following a struggle with police officers, the Apex Police Department said.
Officers were monitoring the event when, at approximately 9:42 a.m., they observed the man walking through a crowd, carrying a backpack and wearing blue latex medical gloves, Deputy Chief Mitchell McKinney said in a news release.
When they approached the man, officers saw he was armed with two punch daggers attached to the straps of his backpack, McKinney said.
When they tried to engage the man in a conversation, officers grew concerned about his behavior and tried to detain him in handcuffs, McKinney said, but he resisted. The officers ultimately used a taser to subdue the man.
Officers then searched his backpack, which contained butane accelerants, as well as a hatchet, body armor, and shin guards, according to the release.
Police requested a K-9 to search the man’s vehicle, which was located nearby at Apex United Methodist Church, but did not find any explosives inside or around the vehicle.
After they identified the man, police learned he had a history of mental health issues, and he was transported to a medical facility for evaluation, the release said.
The man’s identity is being withheld “due to the medical nature of this call,” police said.
Police said this was “an isolated incident associated with the suspect’s mental health” and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public.
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