Gun Rights Advocates Charged In Standoff With Dearborn Police

DEARBORN, MI — A pair of gun-rights activists arrested after a confrontation with officers inside the Dearborn Police Department last month will face multiple criminal counts in Wayne County Circuit Court on March 31.

Brandon Vreeland, 40, of Jackson, and James Baker, 24, of Leonard, walked into the department on Feb. 5 with Baker carrying several weapons and Vreeland shooting video footage on a camera. A tense standoff occurred with about a dozen officers finally subduing the men after threats, cursing and heated words were exchanged.

Baker was charged with two counts of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of brandishing firearms in public. Vreeland was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer and disturbing the peace.

A person who identified themselves as “Political Prisoner” released a nearly six-minute YouTube video on March 19 showing footage presumably shot by Vreeland and portions of a Dearborn Police Department surveillance video. Commentary was offered along with the YouTube video, which is laced with profanity.

A few days after the incident, Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad condemned the actions of Vreeland and Jackson. “I find this behavior totally unacceptable and irresponsible," he said in a statement. "This is not a 2nd Amendment issue for me. We had members of the public in our lobby that fled in fear for their safety as these men entered our building."

The incident was caused by an earlier traffic stop of the two men by Dearborn officers, the Detroit Free Press reported. Vreeland and Baker wanted to file a complaint about being pulled over, but also saw it as chance to test Dearborn officers, to see if they “honored” the Constitution and their right to carry guns, the newspaper reported.

Photo Courtesy Dearborn Police Department