New York gunman who sparked terrorism investigation appears in court

Editor's Note: Video originally released June 13, 2024.

QUEENS, NY (PIX11) — The man allegedly found with multiple weapons during a traffic stop in Queens last week had a black baton with the words “You Gave Me No Choice” stuck in his vehicle, authorities said.

The statements “You will learn” and “Ask God for forgiveness” in Arabic were allegedly scrawled in silver on the black stick when NYPD officers arrested Judd Sanson, 27, near 86th Street and 23rd Avenue in East Elmhurst around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to court documents.

Police said Sanson was initially stopped because his black Ford Explorer had a blacked-out license plate. The authorities then allegedly discovered a cache of weapons, which would have given rise to a possible terrorist investigation.

After the search, Sanson told the police: “Sorry, I'll take it off.” There are a lot of drunk people these days,” according to court documents.

When the officers approached the car, one of the officers noticed the handle of a knife protruding from a sheath strapped to the defendant's right leg.

“Is this a knife?” » asked the cop.

Police also recovered silver handcuffs and a black whip hanging from the truck's ceiling as well as several guns, ammunition, knives, a machete, a stun gun and an NYPD vest, prosecutors said.

Sanson was arrested and arraigned on multiple charges of criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful use of a police uniform and no license plate, according to court records. He is being held without bail at a facility for inmates with a contagious disease, Department of Corrections records show.

No terrorism-related charges have been added to the complaint

“We must protect our city. When a person is arrested and has a loaded semi-automatic weapon, more than 170 rounds total, multiple weapons, body armor, NYPD patch and MTA vest, just a few blocks from the airport, we we are very worried. ” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Sanson's attorney could not immediately be reached Monday.