The US Capitol Police have taken a 35-year-old man into custody after discovering a guillotine being transported through the streets of Washington, D.C. The suspect, identified as Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California, faces charges of carrying a dangerous weapon.
The arrest occurred shortly after 3:00 pm on Tuesday. Officers encountered the suspect while patrolling the 100 block of East Capitol Street, a major thoroughfare in the Capitol Hill area, where they noticed the man’s pickup truck was illegally parked. Upon inspection, investigators found what appeared to be a full-scale wooden guillotine loaded in the back of the vehicle.
Following the discovery, the device was seized by authorities. Images shared by US Capitol Police on its website and social media show what appears to be a full-scale, wooden guillotine sitting in the back of a stationary pickup truck. It remains unclear whether the device, which officers seized, was operational at the time of the incident. In a statement regarding the arrest, the US Capitol Police confirmed that the suspect had driven to the capital from California. Investigators are currently reviewing the man’s background to determine his motivations for traveling to Washington, D.C. with the device.
