Man with crossbow, flare gun and body armor arrested in Meriden after 911 calls: police – NBC Connecticut

Meriden police arrested a man they said possessed a flare gun, a modified crossbow and a bulletproof vest when they responded to several 911 calls about a suspicious man on Main Street in Meriden Wednesday evening .

People who called 911 shortly before 5 p.m. said a man wearing body armor was walking down the street, carrying a rifle slung over his shoulder, a beer and a backpack.

The callers also said the man told people in a parking lot that they should “kill themselves” and that he was “waiting for the police,” police said.

Officers found the man walking in the middle of Hanover Avenue and stopped traffic to protect the public.

They told him to keep his hands visible and stop walking, police said, but he ignored them and continued walking toward a more residential area.

Officers took him into custody and determined that what appeared to be a rifle was a crossbow with a collapsible stock and the limbs of the crossbow were removed.

In his backpack, they found an Orange Orion Flare pistol with a modified 12-gauge cartridge inside that had been hollowed out and appeared to have been repackaged with glass and other debris, according to police.

They said he had a similar flare gun when Wallingford police arrested him May 28 and has a protective order prohibiting him from possessing firearms.

The suspect received medical treatment on scene, then was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a dangerous weapon, violation of a protection order, obstructing the action of a agent and breach of public order. He was held on $500,000 bail for the charges.

A warrant for failure to appear in the second degree has a bond of $2,500, a warrant for failure to appear in the first degree has a bond of $150,000, a warrant for failure to appear in the first degree has a bond of $25,000 .