Man arrested after approaching Portland courthouse with a rifle

0916-matthew-thomas-mglejPortland, Ore. – Portland police responded to Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse on Southwest 3rd Avenue around 5:00 Thursday evening to assist Department of Homeland Security officers with a suspect in custody.

Police said DHS officers arrested a man after he entered a controlled area around the courthouse while carrying a sign and a towel wrapped around something. When officers confronted the man, the towel around the item slipped and revealed a rifle.

According to police, the man put down the rifle and was taken into custody. The rifle was not loaded, but there was an empty magazine in the rifle.

The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Matthew Thomas Mglej. He was lodged in the Multnomah County jail on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. DHS officers cited Mglej for a federal firearms violation.

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