Man Arrested in Gun Incident at Pentagon

A man with a loaded pistol in his knapsack walked into the Pentagon on Tuesday, demanded to see the “admiral in charge” and pulled his gun on a security guard, officials said.

Security Officer Christopher Freeman grabbed the man’s hand, forced him to the floor and twisted the weapon away. The gunman had 130 rounds of ammunition for the 9-millimeter semiautomatic Beretta, said Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon.

Bacon identified the man as Raymond Steve Maestas, 36, of West Covina. The spokesman said it appeared Maestas had no military service record, but he did have a criminal record.

Bacon said Maestas, asked whether he had an official pass to enter the Pentagon, responded that he wanted “to see the admiral in charge.” He also asked about seeing the “vice admiral” about a car theft, the spokesman said.

Freeman’s co-worker considered the comments odd and telephoned for help. As Freeman approached Maestas, the man drew his gun, Bacon said.

The 5-foot-6, 165-pound security officer quickly disarmed the 5-foot-11, 240-pound Maestas, the spokesman said.

“He did his job very well. He did exactly what he was trained to do,” Bacon said of Freeman, who has received extra training as part of the Pentagon’s Emergency Response Team, a SWAT-type of unit.

The incident occurred at 8:12 a.m., as dozens of civilian employees and military personnel were arriving for work.

After Maestas was disarmed by the guard manning the security checkpoint at the Pentagon’s Mall entrance, security personnel found a key to the rented car Maestas had driven.

The Army then deployed a robot to try to turn the key in the car in case it was wired to explode. The robot failed to open the door, but an army expert in bomb-protection gear did so and found no explosives, Bacon said.

The spokesman said Maestas was being questioned by the FBI and the Pentagon’s Defense Protective Service, which polices the huge office building and surrounding area.

Maestas was to be taken to the federal magistrate’s office in Alexandria, Va., for arraignment. Bacon said he did not know what charges would be brought.