The Arizona Department of Public Safety arrested an armed man who posed as law enforcement outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, where a memorial would be held for Charlie Kirk.
On the afternoon of Sept. 19, the U.S. Secret Service approached a man, later identified as Joshua Runkles, 42, who falsely claimed to be a member of law enforcement, according to Bart Graves, a spokesperson for DPS.
Graves said Runkles was “exhibiting suspicious behavior,” and told authorities he was armed.
Runkles was taken into custody by DPS and booked into a Maricopa County jail on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer and bringing a weapon into a restricted area, according to Graves.
“An investigation is ongoing to determine his intent and purpose at the stadium,” Graves said in an emailed statement.
Runkles had since been released on bond, according to Graves.
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William Mack, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Phoenix office, confirmed that Runkles was not a law enforcement officer and was armed at the time of his arrest by DPS.
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The Glendale Police Department referred questions to the Secret Service and DPS.
The memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an Arizona resident and key figure in the Republican effort to elect Donald Trump in 2024, is scheduled to take place at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, beginning at 11 a.m. Arizona time.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man arrested outside of State Farm Stadium ahead of Kirk memorial