A Sacramento man arrested on weapons charges was also found in possession of various law enforcement patches and tactical gear, raising concerns among authorities that he could have been impersonating a police officer, according to sheriff’s officials.
Sacramento County sheriff’s officials said Dalmin Muran, 29, was arrested Nov. 11 on multiple weapons charges after investigators found a large cache of weapons at his home, along with law enforcement patches and tactical gear. The arrest came after Muran was stopped by security officers at an East Sacramento high school at night. They said he was wearing military clothes and night-vision equipment.
Muran was not booked on charges related to impersonating law enforcement, but officials said the law enforcement gear, police paraphernalia found at his home, and tips received from the public have raised concerns about how he was using the gear. He was released on bail hours after his arrest.
“We have received a few messages about alarming interactions,” said Sgt. Amar Gandhi of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. “I’ll leave it at that.”
Muran did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Investigators began looking into Muran after officials received several reports that he was exhibiting “concerning and escalating behavior,” including interactions at or near East Sacramento schools, sheriff’s officials said in a statement.
In one incident, according to the statement, Muran allegedly drove his vehicle into a school at night and was seen wearing military gear and night-vision goggles.
When a security guard asked him to leave, officials said Muran argued he should be allowed to stay because schools were on public grounds. Officials said Muran also claimed to have served in the military, although that turned out to be false.
During the interaction, sheriff’s officials said in the statement, Muran expressed an interest in joining law enforcement.
Last week, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Threat Management Unit served a search warrant at his home, where officials said they found several weapons, tactical gear and patches from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, a sheriff K-9 unit, and the Los Angeles Airport Police.
Gandhi noted it is not illegal to own law enforcement patches and that some people collect such patches as a hobby, but it is unclear how Muran obtained his patches and if they were used in any interaction with the public.
In one image distributed by the department, a Sacramento County sheriff’s patch appeared to be affixed to a black backpack.
“They all appear real,” Gandhi said about the patches. “But it’s nothing that we sell or distribute.”
Officials said several of the weapons found appeared to have been modified from their state-compliant configuration, and one short-barreled rifle without serial numbers was found in the attic during the search.
According to arrest records, Muran was booked on suspicion of possession of a weapon without valid serial numbers, possession of a large capacity magazine, embezzlement, possession of metal knuckles, possession of a leaded cane, carrying a loaded firearm registered to another person, possession of an assault weapon, and buying or selling a sniper scope, among other charges.
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