A man pretending to be a police officer and carrying weapons was arrested by Secret Service agents inside the Arizona stadium set to host Charlie Kirk’s funeral today, according to news reports.
The individual, identified as 42-year-old Joshua Runkles, was allegedly armed with both a firearm and a knife and was also carrying outdated police credentials when he was confronted at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, home of the Arizona Cardinals, The Washington Post reported, citing a law enforcement source familiar with the incident.
Authorities say Runkles presented himself to agents as a private security guard and handed over “inactive law enforcement credentials,” according to the official who spoke with the outlet.
He was later turned over to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and booked into Maricopa County Jail on felony charges of impersonating law enforcement and a misdemeanor for bringing a weapon into a restricted area, department spokesman Bart Graves confirmed.
Although Runkles has since been freed on bond, investigators are still working to determine his motives for entering the venue, Graves told The Post. The bond amount was not specified.
Details about his history remain scarce, though a federal source told Fox News Digital that “is a former deputy sheriff out of Idaho.”
“They are going through his background and trying to figure out what he was up to there,” the same source added in comments to the outlet.
According to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, Runkles managed to enter the building “prior to the setup of any secure perimeter.”
“The U.S. Secret Service in coordination with local law enforcement in Glendale, Arizona, is investigating an individual who was observed exhibiting suspicious behavior” at the stadium, Guglielmi said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“The individual was approached by Secret Service and stated during the encounter that he was a member of law enforcement and that he was armed. The individual is not a member of authorized law enforcement working the event and is currently in custody,” Guglielmi explained to The Post.
“The U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement are investigating the circumstances as to why he was at the location.”
Officials have not yet publicly released the suspect’s identity.
The memorial service, titled “Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk,” is expected to bring together over 100,000 attendees, among them President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Homeland Security has designated the funeral as a level-1 “special event assessment rating,” The Post reported, citing an agency official.
“This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event,” the official explained.
According to ABC News, federal authorities had already been monitoring “several threats of unknown credibility” leading up to the service.
“Violent extremists and unaffiliated lone offenders may view the memorial service or related events as attractive attack targets due to the attendance of these individuals, other senior U.S. government officials, state and local government officials, and political activists and due to major international media attention,” stated a law enforcement bulletin obtained by the outlet.
Kirk’s wife, Erika, is scheduled to deliver remarks alongside the president.
Other high-profile speakers include White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Director of the White House Personnel Office Sergio Gor.
To secure the massive event, the Secret Service will oversee operations in partnership with local authorities, William Mack, the special agent in charge of the agency’s Phoenix office, told The Post.
Mack said teams were “already on the ground in Phoenix and Glendale, working side-by-side with state, local, and federal partners.”
Jose Santiago of the Glendale Police Department noted that safety measures would include “security of all different types – from the sky and the ground – and measures that won’t be visible to the naked eye,” as well as metal detectors and a strict no-bag policy for Sunday’s gathering.
Santiago added that several hundred officers will be deployed in and around the stadium for the duration of the memorial.
{Matzav.com}
