Capitol Police arrest California man with guillotine near Supreme Court

Discovery and arrest at the Capitol complex

United States Capitol Police officers arrested a California man on Tuesday afternoon after finding a guillotine resting in the bed of his pickup truck. The truck had been left illegally parked along the 100 block of East Capitol Street, positioned directly alongside the United States Supreme Court building in Washington. Officers patrolling the Capitol complex first observed the vehicle around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday and approached to investigate the parking violation. Capitol Police detained the driver shortly after 3:00 p.m. on the eastern perimeter of the Capitol grounds. The location where the truck was parked sits approximately 160 meters (0.1 miles) from the Capitol building itself. Police identified the detained driver as 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le, a resident of Julian, California.

Seizure of guillotine and weapons charge

After taking the driver into custody, Capitol Police officers examined the cargo bed of the pickup truck and seized the execution device. A guillotine is an instrument designed for administering capital punishment through beheading, consisting of a heavy blade mounted inside a tall vertical wooden frame. The apparatus was invented in late-18th Century France, where it became a widely recognized symbol of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. Capitol Police formally charged Le with carrying a dangerous weapon in connection with the transport and possession of the device. Officers secured the pickup truck on East Capitol Street and took the suspect into custody for formal booking.

Cross-country route and backpack search

Investigators are focusing on the circumstances and route surrounding Le's cross-country journey from southern California to the government complex in Washington. Capitol Police stated that the 35-year-old suspect drove the entire distance from California in the pickup truck while transporting the full guillotine in the rear bed. Federal officers said they are investigating why the suspect made the trip and why he was transporting the execution device to the street beside the Supreme Court. In an official press release, Capitol Police confirmed that detectives are examining the suspect's backpack and personal effects to determine what led to the incident.

Investigators are going through the suspect's backpack to learn more about why he came to Washington

Perimeter towing and historical context

Following the arrest, Capitol Police maintained a secure perimeter along East Capitol Street while officers documented the scene. Law enforcement personnel were seen photographing the truck and the wooden frame before arranging for the pickup truck to be towed away from the Supreme Court. Photographs of the vehicle and the guillotine began spreading across social media platforms just before 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The presence of the execution device near the Capitol building called to mind the gallows erected with the building in the backdrop on January 6, 2021. Capitol Police stated that the investigation into Le's trip and background remains active.