Masked, armed and busted in Dearborn: Video shows Leonard man in body armor carrying firearm into police station

A 24-year-old Leonard man was arrested after allegedly walking into the Dearborn police station on Sunday, Feb. 5 with a pistol that had the appearance of a rifle strapped to his chest and a handgun on his hip, while wearing a ski mask, dark glasses and body armor.

The Leonard man claimed he was there to lodge a complaint for being pulled over by Dearborn Police earlier that day. But his alleged refusal to comply with officers’ repeated commands to place his rifle on the ground led to his arrest.

The Leonard man was accompanied by a 40-year-old Jackson resident, who was also arrested.

Both men posted $1,500 bond and were released pending future court appearances, according to Dearborn Police.

Authorities did not disclose the pending charges or the suspects’ names, but indicated that information will be released following formal arraignment.

The Leader does know identities of the two men, but it is our policy not to publish names of suspects until after they’ve been arraigned.

The Jackson man entered the station wearing body armor and carrying a camera and tripod, according to a press release issued by Dearborn Police. He was not armed.

The entire tension-filled incident was filmed and the profanity-laced video, which lasts for 3 minutes, 25 seconds, is currently posted on YouTube. It was streamed live on Facebook.

According to Dearborn Police, the whole situation began with officers responding to the shopping district in the area of Ford and Southfield to investigate a report of two suspicious men in a vehicle wearing tactical vests and masks. The men left the area before police arrived.

A short time later, a Dearborn police sergeant spotted the men in a vehicle in a park about 3 miles away. The sergeant conducted a traffic stop to investigate further.

The sergeant observed both men were dressed in heavy tactical vests and the passenger, “who refused to speak to the sergeant,” was wearing a balaclava mask, according to the press release.

A brief preliminary investigation was conducted and no firearms were observed in the passenger compartment, so the sergeant released the men, according to the agency’s statement.

Following this encounter, the men drove to the Dearborn police station.

Before they entered the building, the video shows the Leonard man walking through the parking lot, saying they’re there to “file a complaint” for being “illegally pulled over about an hour ago.”

“We felt a little afraid for our lives when we were pulled over, so we figure we better protect ourselves,” the Leonard man says on the video.

After entering the station, an officer aimed his gun at the Leonard man and commanded loudly, “Dude, put that on the ground! Put it on the ground!”

Another officer soon joins the situation and shouts the same commands.

Shortly after, the video goes black, but audio can still be heard. Officers are heard shouting statements such as:

“Put it on the ground or you are dead! I will shoot you! I will put a round in you, sir!”

“Put that rifle on the ground now!”

“What the hell’s the matter with you?”

“Put it down! Barrel down! Set it down! Step back!

In response to all this, the men are heard to say, “Can we all calm down?” and “It’s all legal, sir.”

Dearborn Police reported both men eventually complied with the officers’ commands and they were taken into custody without incident.

According to the press release, officers seized a loaded AP-14 firearm, rifle magazine containing 47 rounds, a loaded Glock 19 handgun with four additional magazines containing 66 rounds, an AR-15 rifle, an AK-47 style rifle, body armor and ballistic vests, mask, gun belt and several pieces of camera equipment.

Dearborn Police reported the firearm that was allegedly slung across the Leonard man’s chest to be an AP-14. Dearborn Police Lt. Gary Mann said it is a homemade weapon and described it as “a pistol with a threaded extension on the barrel and a rifle stock.”

The men claim to be advocates for the right under Michigan law to openly carry firearms.

But their alleged actions were condemned by Michigan Open Carry, Inc., a gun-rights organization.

The group issued a statement regarding the incident – “Let us be clear, Michigan Open Carry (MOC), Inc. in no way supports the actions of these individuals. It is our belief that their actions are reckless, and primarily designed to draw attention and a response.”

That statement went on to explain how MOC “advocates for and educates people about the lawful open carry of a holstered handgun for the purposes of everyday self-protection” and how “thousands of people open carry every day all over this state, including in police stations, without incident.”

“There is a clear difference between the everyday protection we advocate for and the attention-seeking actions of these individuals,” the MOC stated. “Wearing a mask, dark glasses, visible body armor, and a rifle slung across your chest instills a very specific image that cannot be ignored.”

In the written statement, MOC President Tom Lambert noted, “Like it or not, exercising your rights is not black and white. How you act and portray yourself is a big part of advocacy. I believe these gentlemen failed in this regard.”

In a phone interview with this reporter, Lambert added, “These guys are not necessarily Second Amendment advocates. They’re people that just hate the police and they’re using (gun rights) as a veil to try and get at their real target (which is) the police.”

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad also condemned the men’s alleged actions.

“I find this behavior totally unacceptable and irresponsible,” he said in a written statement. “This is not a 2nd Amendment issue for me. We had members of the public in our lobby that fled in fear for their safety as these men entered the building.”

The Leader was unable to contact the Leonard man, but he did comment on the situation on his Facebook page.

“The police would love for this to be the moment that they silenced us, and we all know that should be avoided,” he wrote “Liberty is too important . . . ”

The Leonard man wrote they’ve retained legal counsel “that truly understands the core concepts of personal liberty (and Open Carry, of course).”

He noted in the Facebook post how he and the Jackson man are “professional Independent Police Auditors.”

The website www.LibertyIsForEveryone.com defines an independent police auditor as “just a mystery shopper for law enforcement.”

“A mystery shopper, in case you didn’t know, is someone who is paid to audit, or randomly check in on, a business, service, product or institution,” the website states. “‘We the people,’ who are the true managers of our public servants, have a need to routinely audit public services to ensure that they are up to the quality standards that we deserve for what we pay through taxation (extortion).”

In his Facebook post, the Leonard man vowed to continue “the fight for true liberty.”

“We’ve been doing this for a few years now, but I know my 24-year-old ass is only just getting (expletive) started,” he wrote.

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