The Santa Monica Police Department Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks tweeted that Indiana man James Howell was arrested while on his way to a gay pride parade in Southern California.
The Associated Press reports Howell told police he was on his way to the pride event.
When arrested around 5 a.m., Howell was heavily armed with three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, ammunition and a five-gallon bucket with chemicals that could be used to make an explosive device, according to the AP.
A concerned neighbor called the police and reported a prowler, who was found to be the 20-year-old Howell. He was arrested about seven miles away from the pride event in West Hollywood, California, which is attended by hundreds of thousands each year, according to the AP.
Howell was also charged with a level 5 felony for pointing a firearm at another and intimidation Oct. 15, 2015, in Clark County, Indiana.
Howell pleaded guilty to the charges and accepted a plea agreement, according to a hearing journal entry on mycase.in.gov from April 19, 2016.
The court accepted and sentenced Howell to one year at the Indiana Department of Corrections with one year suspended to strict terms of probation, according to the hearing journal entry.
The defendant was also ordered to forfeit all weapons for the entirety of his probation, according to the hearing journal entry.
This story has been updated to say Howell was on his way to the Pride event after Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks tweeted the original statement of Howell telling police he was going to commit harm at the event was inaccurate.
Suzanne Grossman
