Open Carry Stunt in Michigan Goes Too Far
Police in Dearborn, Michigan, charged two men with breach of peace after they walked into a police station live streaming their interaction with police while wearing tactical vests, one of them carrying an AP-14 firearm and a handgun. The men told police they were making a point about civil liberties.
Police confronted the men, later identified as James Craig Baker and Brandon Brent Vreeland, as they initially refused to comply with the officers’ commands to put down their weapons, authorities said.
In the live video, police can be heard giving commands to put down the guns and step back. One of the suspects told the police, “We aren’t breaking any laws.”
WARNING: The below video includes offensive language.
Michigan is an open state, which means licensed gun owners are allowed to carry a firearm in public so long as it is not concealed.
Dearborn police say they first encountered the pair early Sunday afternoon when they were called to investigate a report of two suspicious men in a vehicle wearing tactical masks. A Dearborn sergeant spotted the pair and conducted a traffic stop. The sergeant let the pair go after a preliminary investigation.
It was after this run-in with the police that Baker and Vreeland decided to go to the police department. Video shows the two talking to one another as they moved across the parking lot into the station.
"So, we're here outside Dearborn police station," one of the men, who is masked, says to the camera. "We're going to go in and file a complaint because we were illegally pulled over about an hour ago."
Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad released a press release on the incident explaining how dangerous the stunt was.
"I find this behavior totally unacceptable and irresponsible. This is not a Second Amendment issue for me," Haddad said in a press release. "We had members of the public in our lobby that fled in fear for their safety as these men entered our building."
Baker, 24, was holding both of the firearms at the time of the incident and was charged with breach of peace, masks/disguises while parading, and failure to cooperate during booking proceedings.
Vreeland was carrying the camera and tripod. He was charged with breach of peace, failure to obey police officer’s direction or order, and resisting an officer’s demands. All of the charges are misdemeanors.
After the incident was over, police seized guns, ammunition, body armor and ballistic vests, according to authorities. In all, they recovered four guns, including the loaded AP-14 and a loaded Glock 19 handgun. It was not clear where police found the other two firearms.