Capitol Police Arrest Man with Guillotine Near Supreme Court

Screenshot via U.S. Capitol Police Twitter/X

U.S. Capitol Police announced on Tuesday they have arrested a California man driving with a guillotine near the Supreme Court.

The USCP said in a statement that they have seized a guillotine found in the back of a truck, which was near the 100 block of East Capitol Street. The truck was noticed because it was illegally parked, but images released show a rather large guillotine held in the bed of the vehicle.

The truck was spotted near the Supreme Court building around 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday.

Philan-Tam-Duy Le, 35, of Julian, California, was arrested by Capitol Police “for carrying a dangerous weapon for being in possession of the guillotine,” according to the USCP. The Supreme Court is currently in its summer recess.

The suspect is from the Cuyamaca Mountains, which are approximately 60 miles from San Diego.

“The suspect, 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, CA, was arrested for Carrying a Dangerous Weapon for being in possession of the guillotine,” USCP wrote in their statement.

Capitol Police released photographs of both the pickup truck parked with the guillotine and the guillotine outside of the truck. The contraption could clearly be seen from the back of the pickup truck.

The investigation is ongoing and officials say they are looking into the suspect’s motivation for traveling from California to Washington, D.C.

“The suspect drove here from California. USCP investigators are going through the suspect’s background to learn more about why he came to Washington, DC.,” the USCP wrote in their release.

President Donald Trump had at times publicly lashed out at the Supreme Court, but his administration recently celebrated a ruling restricting mail-in ballots. Under the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security can compile lists of people in states it deems eligible to vote, among other things, backing up a Trump executive order.

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