Man Arrested with Guns, Explosives in Santa Monica Headed to Court

Santa Monica, CA — An Indiana man, who was arrested in Santa Monica on Sunday with assault rifles and explosive powders, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

James Wesley Howell, 20, was arrested at around 5 a.m. Sunday on "weapons and explosives" charges, police said. He was arrested on the 1700 block of 11th Street after a resident notified police of a possible prowler, the Santa Monica Police Department said.

"The suspect was reportedly knocking on a resident's door and window prompting the call to SMPD," Lt. Saul Rodriguez said.

Howell said he was there to meet a friend.

A subsequent search of the car found three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and ammunition in addition to a five-gallon bucket of "chemicals capable of forming an improvised explosive device," Rodriguez said.

According to unconfirmed reports, the chemical was Tannerite, which is used as an exploding rifle target to let shooters know when they've hit a target, according to the company's spokesman Dan Tanner. The powder can only be detonated by high-velocity impact, such as a bullet strike, making it unlikely to be used as an improvised bomb, he said.

Santa Monica Police Department Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said via Twitter that Howell told a police officer about "wanting to harm Gay Pride event," which was happening in West Hollywood. Rodriguez said later, however, that Howell said only he was planning to attend the event and made no reference to doing any harm.

"He did not make any additional statements saying he was going to do anything further than" attending the event, Rodriguez said.

The arrest came hours after a shooting rampage at an gay Orlando nightclub where at least 50 people were killed and another 53 were injured.

Authorities said there were no connections to the Orlando attack. Howell was arrested seven miles from the annual Los Angeles Gay Pride Festival.

Howell is scheduled to appear at the LAX Superior Court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, but that could change as the FBI, which is assisting with the investigation, is consulting with prosecutors about possible federal charges, the bureau's spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. 

He is being held at the Twin Towers Correction Center in lieu of a $500,000 bail.

Howell has a history of gun violence. Last year, he was charged with two felonies, intimidation and pointing a firearm at another person. 

In a plea agreement, Howell agreed to plead guilty to intimidation and prosecutors dropped the firearm charge, according to Indiana court records. 

Howell was sentenced to one year in state prison with a suspended sentence and placed on probation. As part of the plea deal, Howell agreed to surrender all weapons to police during the term of his probation, court records show. 

On Monday, Indiana prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation, according to court records.

--Photo courtesy of the Santa Monica Police Department