A Southern California man who had a guillotine in the back of his pickup truck was arrested Tuesday near the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, authorities said.
U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday said officers had arrested a 35-year-old San Diego County man on suspicion of carrying a dangerous weapon — the guillotine. Police said his name is Philan-Tam-Duy Le. The suspect’s family says he goes by Philan Tam Le.
Kelvin Le told The Times on Tuesday night that he recognized the black truck in the photographs shared by police as his brother’s vehicle.
A guillotine stands in the bed of a pickup. Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian was arrested on suspicion of carrying a dangerous weapon.
(U.S. Capitol Police)
Le’s motivations were unclear. He is a resident of the small town of Julian in San Diego County, authorities said, and drove across the country from California.
Reached by phone Tuesday evening, Le’s older brother said that the guillotine was probably intended as a “symbol of disapproval.”
“I don’t think he’d hurt anyone,” said Kelvin Le, a production planner in Vista, who was surprised to learn of the arrest.
Philan Tam Le enjoyed going on road trips around the country. He grew up in Carlsbad, briefly worked as a cook in a Vietnamese restaurant in Las Vegas, and had been living in Julian for a number of years, his brother said.
A free spirit, his brother said he would fund his travels by working as a tattoo artist and making earrings and other piercings. “He built a lot of things with his hands,” Kelvin Le said.
Philan Tam Le has been generally unhappy with the state of politics, his brother said. He isn’t a fan of either major political party and dislikes both Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump, Kelvin Le said.
He said Philan Tam Le didn’t like to say what specific government policies he is against.
Department investigators “are going through the suspect’s background to learn more about why he came to Washington, D.C.,” Capitol police said in a statement.
The pickup truck, officials said, was illegally parked along the 100 block of East Capitol Street, where the U.S. Supreme Court building is also located. The block is near the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress.