Explosive devices, guns found with suspect in van in White Settlement neighborhood: police
White Settlement police arrested a suspect after improvised explosive devices and guns were found in his vehicle on Tuesday morning, Nov. 26, officials said.
The Police Department responded to a call from a person reporting a suspicious vehicle around 5:30 a.m. at a neighborhood in the 9200 block of Jason Lane.
When the officers arrived, they found a white passenger van with the suspect seated in the driver’s seat. The man had a handgun in his lap, police said in a news release.
The suspect was experiencing a mental health issue, police said. Officers were able to grab and remove him from the van while he did not have the gun in his possession, police said.
He was immediately detained thereafter, they said.
Police also discovered what they believed to be an improvised explosive device on the front passenger seat and saw a second explosive device in the back of the van.
Due to the presence of explosives, a perimeter was established until additional resources consisting of an explosive ordinance team could respond to help, police said.
The Fort Worth Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene, along with the Fort Worth Fire Department Bomb Squad.
The assisting agencies confirmed that the two devices were IEDs, police said.
A rifle and an AR-style pistol were also found in the van in addition to the handgun that was initially located with the suspect in the driver’s seat, police said.
The suspect’s intentions behind parking the vehicle in this specific White Settlement neighborhood are being investigated, police said.
The suspect has been taken into custody and transported to a local medical facility, pending further criminal charges. White Settlement police detectives are working on obtaining search warrants to continue the criminal investigation.
Police have not publicly identified the suspect. There is a possibility that additional charges could be filed federally or through the state, police said.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the ATF assisted with the investigation and removal of the explosive devices.
The White Settlement Fire Department also responded and assisted at the scene, police said.
The van has been towed from the scene after the explosives were safely removed. There is no danger to the neighborhood, and the perimeter has been broken down, police said.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 2:05 PM.