Man Arrested Near University of Washington Campus With Stolen Truck, Firearms and Explosives
ByUniversity of Washington (UW) police arrested a man for suspicion of possession of incendiary devices and he was also driving a stolen truck, the Seattle Times reported.
The was identified as Justin Miles Jasper, 21, of Nevada, and the truck he was driving had a rifle with a scope, a shotgun, body armor and multiple Molotov cocktails, said UW police chief John Vinson.
Neither the UW police nor the Seattle police know what connection, if any, Jasper had to the school because he is not a student. Jasper was booked without incident at King County Jail Wednesday night and, as of Thursday night, he still had yet to receive any formal charges.
UW police deputy chief Randy West said Thursday at a news conference that "an investigation is underway."
On Tuesday, UW police questioned him after they found the man asleep in the truck, which was parked in Laurel Village parking lot, a UW housing complex. After no warrants came up for him, Jasper was released.
UW police received notice that the truck had been reported stolen in Montana on Wednesday. They arrested Jasper that night after locating and following the truck, which revealed the weaponry, also apparently stolen from the same person in Montana.
"We believe the person from whom [the weapons and truck] were stolen knew the suspect, though that's still being confirmed," Vinson said. "At this point, there does not appear to be any threat to the University of Washington community."
Vinson included that Jasper did not appear to have any ammunition.
"Any time you have someone who has body armor, long guns and incendiary devices, that's a significant concern," interim Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel said during Thursday's news conference.
The Seattle Police confirmed that the FBI had joined the investigation, but noted he did not currently pose any threat.
"We have no idea what his intentions are," Vinson said. "This is a very active investigation. We're trying to rule out everything at this point."