Man arrested in NYC with gun, 8 loaded magazines, NYPD vest and other weapons, police say

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

By John Miller, Michelle Watson and Nic F. Anderson, CNN

(CNN) — New York police are investigating whether a Queens man arrested Wednesday was planning to commit an attack before he was arrested and found with a gun, eight loaded magazines and other weapons, according to police officials with knowledge of the matter. 'investigation.

Officers arrested Judd Sanson after noticing a blacked-out license plate on the Black Ford Explorer he was driving around 1:30 a.m., according to the New York Police Department. Officers eventually found a large cache of weapons, handcuffs, New York Police uniform items and a New York City carrier vest, the head of the Department of Police said Wednesday. New York Police Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey.

Sanson, 27, was taken into custody and now faces charges of criminal possession of a weapon – a loaded firearm, criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a device ammunition supply and an obscured license plate, the New York Police Department told CNN in an email.

CNN is working to determine whether Sanson has an attorney.

During their search of Sanson's car, officers also found a 9-millimeter Glock, 100 rounds of ammunition, a stun gun, several knives, a weighted whip, an extendable baton, heavy body armor and two axes, a Maddrey said.

Maddrey said “it is still too early” in the active investigation to determine whether the incident is terrorism-related.

“We are going to be very thorough in this investigation,” Maddrey said at a news conference. “The detective bureau will investigate with our intelligence unit to see what else we can learn about this arrest.”

The man was reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest with an NYPD patch on the front as well as an orange MTA vest typically worn by New York City subway workers, according to police officials with knowledge of the investigation. Police displayed the items at a news conference Wednesday, including a mask made popular by the movie “V for Vendetta.”

Law enforcement sources said investigators from the NYPD Intelligence Division and the Joint Terrorism Task Force were called into action because of the number and types of weapons, the firearm, the amount of ammunition and vests bearing police and public transport symbols.

Investigators are also examining writings found in the car and on social media, police sources said.

“Members of this department make gun arrests, weapons arrests, knife arrests every day. But an arrest of this magnitude – the amount of ammunition and NYPD paraphernalia in the car was significant,” Maddrey said Wednesday.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said authorities were taking the matter “very seriously” but was unable to say whether the man was planning an attack.

“There is no tolerance for this behavior, it is criminal, and I have confidence in our system that this individual will be prosecuted and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,” Hochul told CNN's Laura Coates on Wednesday evening.

“This is unacceptable in New York State, it is frightening but it is important to know that the police are aware of this situation and more will be reported as we are able to disclose this to the public,” she said.