Timothy Joseph Bates, 37, is a former Memphis police officer who retired from the force in 2013
A man stopped by the police for public urination near the White House and subsequently arrested for stashing a collection of deadly weapons in his car has been identified Monday as a former Memphis police officer.
Secret Service agents approached the suspect, Timothy Joseph Bates, outside an art gallery off 17th street and Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington DC.
Law enforcement officials said that he was urinating in public just outside of the Renwick Gallery, which is right across the street from the White House, according to USA Today.
Bates, 37, told agents he was going to the White House to speak with [National Security Agency Director] Admiral Mike Rogers and [Defense Secretary] General James Mattis about ‘advice on missing paychecks and how to get the chip out of my head,’ according to the report.
Bates was stopped by the police for public urination near the White House and subsequently arrested for stashing a collection of deadly weapons in his car. The arsenal included a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson, an M4 Platform Bushmaster assault-style weapon, an AK-47 Platform Norinco, a Glock 30, a Tec-9 with a silencer, brass knuckles and several rounds of ammunition
While he was being questioned, he admitted to having multiple weapons in his car – a 2009 Silver Nissan with Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police license plates.
When officers noticed the license plates, they asked Bates if he was armed. He replied that he was.
Cops searched the car and discovered nine guns, including handguns, AR- and AK-style rifles, as well as three knives, brass knuckles, suppressors, and various types of ammunition.
The arsenal included a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson, an M4 Platform Bushmaster assault-style weapon, an AK-47 Platform Norinco, a Glock 30, a Tec-9 with a silencer, brass knuckles and several rounds of ammunition.
Bates was initially approached by law enforcement officials outside the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC, which is just across the street from the White House (above)
Hours after his arrest, the Memphis Police Department confirmed that Bates was an employee there from 2000 until he retired as a patrolman in August 2013.
‘We have no further comment on this former employee,’ a department spokesperson told USA Today.
Bates was taken ‘for mental observation’ before he was taken to a local police station and charged with multiple weapons violations, according to the report.
Metro DC police booked Bates on six charges, including possession of a prohibited weapon; possession of an unregistered firearm; possession of unregistered ammunition; carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or place of business; carrying a pistol without a license; and unlawful transportation of a firearm.
Renwick Gallery is located just off 17th street and Pennsylvania Avenue (file image) in Washington DC,