(The Hill) — An armed man who was detained on Friday at the memorial venue in Arizona for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk was charged on Saturday with impersonating a law enforcement officer.
Authorities identified the man as Joshua Runkles, 42, who was taken into custody at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., after “exhibiting suspicious behavior,” a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
Runkles was initially approached by the Secret Service. He then allegedly “falsely claimed to be a member of law enforcement and stated that he was armed.”
Runkles was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer, a felony, and carrying a weapon into a prohibited place, a misdemeanor, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
Runkles was booked into the Maricopa County Jail, but was since released on bond.
“An investigation is ongoing to determine his intent and purpose at the stadium,” an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman said.
Later on Saturday, an executive producer for “The Charlie Kirk Show” said the man was doing advance security for a guest at the memorial service for Kirk on Saturday, and that nothing “nefarious” was involved.
“I want to add a note of clarity here,” Andrew Kolvet, the producer, wrote on X.
“This individual was doing advance security for a known guest planning to attend the memorial service tomorrow. We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious, however the advance was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or US Secret Service,” Kolvet wrote.
“Also important to note that this was before the site had been fully sealed and locked down. Every precaution is being taken to ensure everyone’s safety.”
The memorial for Kirk, who was killed last week in Utah, is set to take place on Sunday. The event will have Super-Bowl-level security measures. It was designated as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event.
President Trump, Vice President Vance and other administration officials are set to give remarks at the funeral service.
On Friday, federal authorities said they are tracking “several threats of unknown credibility” against people who plan to be at the service.
After a manhunt for Kirk’s shooter, law enforcement identified Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah resident, as the alleged suspect. Utah is seeking the death penalty against the suspect.
The post Charlie Kirk producer: Man detained outside memorial was doing advance security for guest appeared first on KTLA.
