Apparent plan to 'harm' L.A. Pride not believed to be connected to Orlando massacre

Officers at the L.A. Pride parade Sunday in West Hollywood.

(Image credit: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 13 June 2016

A man arrested Sunday in Santa Monica, California, with weapons and ammunition in his car told officers he wanted to "harm" the L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood.

Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks identified the man as 20-year-old James Howell of Indiana. On Twitter, Seabrooks shared that Howell said he wanted to "harm Gay Pride event," but did not go into more detail. Early Sunday morning, residents in a Santa Monica neighborhood called the police to report a suspected prowler who was knocking on doors and loitering. A source told the Los Angeles Times that, when officers arrived, they made contact with a man who said he was waiting for a friend. Officers inspected his car and found three rifles, one an "assault rifle," ammunition, and tannerite, an ingredient that can be used to make a pipe bomb.

Santa Monica Police spokesman Saul Rodriguez said officials are "not aware of what the suspect's intentions were at this point," but authorities do not believe there is any link to the mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, that killed at least 50 people early Sunday. Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said the suspect told officers he was going to the L.A. Pride parade to look for a friend, and authorities are searching for that person, the Times reports. There was talk of canceling L.A. Pride, but instead security was tightened, and undercover officers are on patrol.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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