8,300 rounds of ammo, assault rifle, body armor:man who impersonated Air Marshal

[GMDino]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/cops-find-assault-rifle-arsenal-man-backseat-article-1.2455344

Quote:He had a fake federal air marshal ID in one pocket, a Ruger .380-caliber pistol in the other and was driving around Long Island with ballistic body armor and a loaded AR-15 assault rifle. He also had an arsenal of weapons at his gated home.

But don’t worry folks, Mark Vicars wasn’t a threat to anyone, Nassau County officials insisted Friday.

The amount of firepower is comparable to what terror couple Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik had during the massacre they committed Wednesday in San Bernardino, Calif.

“At this time we don’t see any immediate threat to the public,” Nassau County Police Department spokesman Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun told reporters.

Seven illegal firearms, three high-capacity magazines and 8,300 rounds of ammunition were found in the 49-year-old’s SUV and Syosset home after an exhaustive search, police confirmed.

Yet cops don’t believe that Vicars was up to anything nefarious — except for masquerading as a federal agent.

“We don’t see any nexus to any terrorism at this time,” LeBrun said, adding that no anti-American literature or links to terrorism were found at his home.

Cops are currently reviewing Vicars computer and web traffic.

“The officers involved were a little shocked (by all the weapons), but they are professionals and did their job appropriately," he said.

Even a woman who identified herself as Vicars’ mother shrugged off the massive arsenal.

“We do have guns,” the woman said outside a Glen Cove, L.I. home belonging to Vicars’ parents, admitting that she did not realize that her son had been arrested.

“I really don’t want to get into this. You’ve knocked me off my feet.”

Cops also recovered numerous vials of prescription insulin and steroids used to increase muscle growth. Vicars didn’t have prescriptions for the drugs.

Vicars’ illegal gun and drug collection was discovered after police received a tip that the personal trainer was posing as an air marshal.

Cops and federal authorities were following up on the tip and surveilling Vicars’ 2014 Dodge Durango — which was tricked out to look like an undercover emergency vehicle — about 7:40 a.m. Thursday when they pulled him over for a traffic violation on Jericho Turnpike near South Oyster Bay Road.

Vicars immediately activated his police flashing lights, pulled over and showed cops his fake badge, officials said.

Investigators found a pistol in Vicars’ back pocket, the AR-15 in the back seat as well as body armor and a tactical vest, officials said.

They also found more than 500 rounds of ammunition in the SUV, officials said. More than 90 of the bullets were in three high-capacity magazines for his AR-15.

Vicars was impersonating an Air Marshal, and came complete with a fake badge and car. When cops went to his house, a massive weapons hoard was found.

Five additional firearms were found in his home, a gated condo known as The Knolls, officials said.

Vicars said nothing as he pleaded not guilty on multiple weapons possession charges at Nassau County Criminal Court Friday afternoon, where he was ordered held on $300,000 bail.

His Legal Aid attorney Alexandria Morrell did not address the charges, but said that Vicars has lived on Long Island for more than 40 years and wasn’t a flight risk.

Investigators are trying to determine how Vicars had gotten all the unregistered weapons and the fake ID.

“It’s going to be a very lengthy investigation,” LeBrun said.

More importantly, investigators want to know what he planned to do with the weapons, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case said.

“Right now it looks like he's a wacky gun enthusiast and a police buff," the source said. "Yet he was going around pretending to be a federal agent - that's troubling.”

The arrest took place a day after Farook and his wife killed 14 people and wounded 21 others at the county Health Department at the Inland Regional Center. The couple was ultimately killed during a firefight with police a few hours later. Besides the firearms, several pipe bombs were found at their home, officials said.

Long Island residents want to know why someone like Vicars would need much firepower.

“What’s he doing with that kind of weapon?” said a neighbor of Vicars’ mother, who wished not to be named. “Where’d he get it? Where did he get the false identification?”

“I have no idea why people want those kinds of guns,” she said. “It’s a crazy world we live in.”

[*michaelsean*]

He's in jail? What's your point? Oh that thanks to a tip he was discovered? I agree.

[GMDino]

(12-05-2015, 10:36 PM)michaelsean Wrote: He's in jail?  What's your point?  Oh that thanks to a tip he was discovered?  I agree.

Oh, that and he's not a terrorist or really even considered a threat.

He just made the mistake of doing all of those things AND impersonating an Air Marshal.


Dang foreigners....

[*bfine32*]

(12-05-2015, 10:36 PM)michaelsean Wrote: He's in jail?  What's your point?  Oh that thanks to a tip he was discovered?  I agree.

I hate it when the process works.  

[JustWinBaby]

(12-05-2015, 10:45 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I hate it when the process works.  

I'm disappointed there's no photos of him with his bible in one hand, and his AK-47 in the other.

[GMDino]

(12-06-2015, 06:30 AM)JustWinBaby Wrote: I'm disappointed there's no photos of him with his bible in one hand, and his AK-47 in the other.

You folks just prove, over and over, that you won't accept the fact that a white guy is just as (if not more) dangerous to you than a refugee/foreigner/Muslim.

And that's why we keep pointing it out to you.

The disconnect is amusing if not alarming.  

[Beaker]

He didn't shoot anybody, nor is their any evidence (yet) that he was going to. There's crazy, there's dangerous, then there's crazy dangerous. We're still dtermining which category this guy falls into. I will reserve judgement until the investigation is complete before holding him up as an example of a terrorist.

[fredtoast]

(12-06-2015, 10:12 AM)GMDino Wrote: You folks just prove, over and over, that you won't accept the fact that a white guy is just as (if not more) dangerous to you than a refugee/foreigner/Muslim.

And that's why we keep pointing it out to you.

The disconnect is amusing if not alarming.  

Don't be silly.

When was the last time a white guy went on a killing spree?  It never happens.  

We need to keep an eye on the Muslims.

[fredtoast]

(12-06-2015, 10:42 AM)Beaker Wrote:  There's crazy, there's dangerous, then there's crazy dangerous. We're still determining which category this guy falls into.

No we are not.

A person who has 100 cats is crazy.  A person that has 100 guns, thousands of rounds of ammo, steroids, and fake security badges is crazy dangerous.

What could he possibly want to do with all those weapons and fake IDs that was NOT dangerous?

[*Nately120*]

(12-06-2015, 12:12 PM)fredtoast Wrote: What could he possibly want to do with all those weapons and fake IDs that was NOT dangerous?

Impress redneck chicks and hope to get some?  

[Benton]

(12-06-2015, 10:12 AM)GMDino Wrote: You folks just prove, over and over, that you won't accept the fact that a white guy is just as (if not more) dangerous to you than a refugee/foreigner/Muslim.

And that's why we keep pointing it out to you.

The disconnect is amusing if not alarming.  

he didn't endanger anyone. It sounds like he could have (as in, it sounds like the guy is crazy) but that's like saying a chocolate cake on the counter should be thrown away because it could make you fat.

[*Nately120*]

(12-06-2015, 01:48 PM)Benton Wrote: he didn't endanger anyone. It sounds like he could have (as in, it sounds like the guy is crazy) but that's like saying a chocolate cake on the counter should be thrown away because it could make you fat.

I thought an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure?

[fredtoast]

(12-06-2015, 01:48 PM)Benton Wrote: he didn't endanger anyone. It sounds like he could have (as in, it sounds like the guy is crazy) but that's like saying a chocolate cake on the counter should be thrown away because it could make you fat.

No.  It is nothing like that.  Don't be silly.

Would you let a 4 year old play with a loaded gun just because "he hasn't aimed it at anyone yet?"

Hoarding guns and ammo does not mean a person is a threat, but when you add illegal steroids and fake police identification you have a serious threat.

[*Nately120*]

(12-06-2015, 02:13 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No.  It is nothing like that.  Don't be silly.

Would you let a 4 year old play with a loaded gun just because "he hasn't aimed it at anyone yet?"

Hoarding guns and ammo does not mean a person is a threat, but when you add illegal steroids and fake police identification you have a serious threat.

Pshaw, this guy didn't do anything yet!  Now if you'll excuse me, my Muslim neighbors got a package and I need to go investigate.

[Beaker]

(12-06-2015, 12:12 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No we are not.

A person who has 100 cats is crazy.  A person that has 100 guns, thousands of rounds of ammo, steroids, and fake security badges is crazy dangerous.

What could he possibly want to do with all those weapons and fake IDs that was NOT dangerous?

I had an uncle who died about 4 years ago who had a large cache of guns, ammo, camping gear and cash who simply did not trust the world and wanted to be "ready" in case of terrorist attack or some apocalypse scenario. He always had a rifle, a pistol and ammo in his car with him, but kept the majority of his stockpile at home. This guy could have been a similar scenario. I can see the usefulness of having fake IDs in a chaos situation. That's what he could possibly want to do with all those weapons. I am not saying it was....but there are possibilities that do not include imminent danger to others.

[fredtoast]

(12-06-2015, 02:56 PM)Beaker Wrote:  I can see the usefulness of having fake IDs in a chaos situation. That's what he could possibly want to do with all those weapons. I am not saying it was....but there are possibilities that do not include imminent danger to others.

This is getting ridiculous.

He was not in a "chaos situation".  he was driving down the road in a fake security vehicle with lights and badges and everything required to impersonate an air marshall while armed to the teeth.

If he had been Muslim or even of middle eatern heritage many people would have been screaming for him to be locked away for life, but because he was white then he is "just like my harmless uncle".

[Benton]

(12-06-2015, 02:13 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No.  It is nothing like that.  Don't be silly.

Would you let a 4 year old play with a loaded gun just because "he hasn't aimed it at anyone yet?"

Hoarding guns and ammo does not mean a person is a threat, but when you add illegal steroids and fake police identification you have a serious threat.

A four year old who doesn't understand consequences isn't the same as someone with a mental condition or just odd proclivity to thinking he's protecting people. And right now, it seems like it's one of the two, as there's no evidence to think he intended to hurt anyone.

If everyone who has illegal steroids or fake id's turned out to shoot people, we'd have no need for mass transit.

[Belsnickel]

I don't know about anyone else, but I see a big difference between a regular fake ID and a fake ID for a law enforcement agency. I see the latter as a bit more nefarious than some of you, apparently.

[JustWinBaby]

(12-06-2015, 10:12 AM)GMDino Wrote: You folks just prove, over and over, that you won't accept the fact that a white guy is just as (if not more) dangerous to you than a refugee/foreigner/Muslim.

And that's why we keep pointing it out to you.

The disconnect is amusing if not alarming.  

Who won't accept white guys aren't nuts and serial killers?  I thought that was common knowledge.  Or is this just you creating another straw man?

What are YOU actually trying to prove?  That because white guys are just as dangerous that we just ignore bad people trying to get in the country?  Or are you trying to say that because our vigilance has largely been effective that we should be less vigilant to terrorists trying to enter our country and do harm?

The only thing amusing is your horribly misguided attempt to justify LESS scrutiny of potential threats because other threats aren't receiving enough.  Seems to me you're the only one trying to draw parallels and distinctions when everyone else is saying let's do a better job of screening and monitoring ALL the nuts.

[Beaker]

(12-06-2015, 03:05 PM)fredtoast Wrote: This is getting ridiculous.

He was not in a "chaos situation".  he was driving down the road in a fake security vehicle with lights and badges and everything required to impersonate an air marshall while armed to the teeth.

If he had been Muslim or even of middle eatern heritage many people would have been screaming for him to be locked away for life, but because he was white then he is "just like my harmless uncle".

What's ridiculous is your rush to judgement. Everything I said was perfectly viable. I am not apologizing for him, I am saying I will reserve judgement until the investigation has all the facts. As a lawyer, you should be the one trumpeting innocent until proven guilty hardest of all.