Ohio Cops Find Suspicious Ford Crown Victoria Full of Mad Max-Style Weapons
Amateur filmmakers, doomsday preppers, and ancaps take heed: Don’t be caught skulking around abandoned buildings with a car full of weapons.
An unnamed individual was detained by police and their vehicle was searched after being spotted prowling an abandoned property with weaponry.
According to a social media post by law enforcement of East Liverpool, Ohio, the department responded to a call from a concerned citizen who spotted a suspicious individual poking around an abandoned property owned by a local florist. Officers that arrived on the scene found a Ford Crown Victoria with a faded police livery and an individual with "a very large knife," whom they took into custody before commencing a search of the vehicle.
Officers photographed the search of the suspect's Crown Vic, which looks outfitted for a supporting role in the next Mad Max film. Inside the vehicle, officers found a loaded handgun, magazines, a box of ammunition, and empty shell casings.
Additional ranged weapons discovered in the vehicle included a crossbow and an air rifle. A starter pistol was also discovered in the footwell next to ski goggles and a pair of shoes.
Multiple modified baseball bats were found in the vehicle, one with two circular saw blades bound around the barrel, the other encrusted in bottle caps. A plethora of knives, a flag that appears to have been fashioned into a spear, and a club were also present.
Small details suggest this vehicle and its contents could belong to an aspiring independent filmmaker, rather than a domestic terrorist. Crime scene tape labeled "ZOMBIE," rubber rats, and a repainted Nerf gun more closely resemble low-budget film props than the property of a doomsday prepper. Presence of a handicap placard and a vape pen only serve to further imply that this is simply a vehicle customized by someone who has played too much Fallout.
The ELPD has yet to publish a report of the incident to its website, and told The Drive that its official account "may take a few days." The Drive will keep an eye out for department releases to determine whether the owner of this car was dismissed with a warning or spent a night in jail. Either will serve as a lesson on attracting the general public's suspicion.