PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Port St. Lucie police arrested a man after investigating a suspicious item found inside a vehicle during a traffic stop Sunday, forcing several nearby residents out of their homes.
Police were called to a traffic crash just after 4 p.m. at the 1000 block of Prineville Street, Port St. Lucie Assistant Police Chief Richard Del Toro said.
Del Toro said officers noticed a vehicle down the road that appeared to have left the area.
As officers approached, they found the driver was wearing a ballistic vest and had handguns and rifles in "plain sight" inside the vehicle.
"There's no reason to be in that type of gear other than if you're in law enforcement, being in some sort of tactical vest with weapons in plain sight, there's really no reason for that," Del Toro said. "So, we need to get to the bottom of that and make sure we get all the answers we're looking for."
The officer pulled the suspect out of the car and arrested him on concealed weapon charges. Del Toro said the man was not cooperative as police questioned him.
Del Toro said officers found the suspicious item during the search, at which point they backed away from the vehicle and notified the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office bomb squad.
Several boxes also were inside the vehicle.
The suspect is believed to be in his early 20s. Del Toro said the suspect is active military and they believe he is on military leave visiting his parents.
He told officers he was visiting a friend, but police are working to confirm that.
The suspect's parents, who lives in Port St. Lucie, were assisting officers in the investigation.
