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Man accused of pulling gun near White House

Posted at 7:53 PM, Jul 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-07-18 19:53:45-04

By Greg Clary

WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. Secret Service officers arrested a man at gunpoint near the White House Tuesday evening after he pulled a pistol out of a holster, according to court documents.

Christopher Wade Briggs, told the arresting officer, “I was only going to fire a couple of shots if no one confronted me.”

Police say the pistol had a bullet in the chamber, and an additional search of a backpack Briggs was carrying revealed 171 more rounds, plus two more ammunition magazines.

The documents also say Briggs was carrying two hunting knives, one with a blade a foot long.

Police charged Briggs with unlawful carrying of a pistol.

This isn’t the first time someone has pulled a gun near the White House during President Barack Obama’s tenure. In the fall of 2011, police arrested Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez after he fired multiple shots at the White House, with some bullets hitting the building. The first family wasn’t home at the time and no one was hurt.