Welcome to Arrest Stories. A forty-two-year-old North Carolina man was arrested Friday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, after impersonating a law enforcement officer while armed at the site of a planned memorial service for Charlie Kirk. Here's what may have happened.
Joshua Runkles arrived at State Farm Stadium on Friday, where a memorial service for Charlie Kirk was scheduled to take place. Kirk had been fatally shot on September tenth while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
According to police reports, Runkles initially approached stadium security claiming to be affiliated with law enforcement and part of a security detail working with Turning Point USA. He showed what appeared to be law enforcement credentials to security officials. When told he couldn't enter the facility, witnesses say Runkles was cooperative and respectful.
However, less than two hours later, Secret Service agents encountered Runkles inside the stadium exhibiting what they described as suspicious behavior. During questioning, Runkles again falsely claimed to be a member of law enforcement and told agents he was armed.
Officials quickly determined that Runkles was not part of the authorized law enforcement working the event. An official statement revealed, "This individual was doing advance security for a known guest planning to attend the memorial service tomorrow. We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious."
However, authorities noted a critical issue with Runkles' activities. The advance security work "was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or US Secret Service," according to investigators.
Runkles was arrested and charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer. He was later released on a five hundred dollar secured appearance bond plus pretrial services supervision.
Officials emphasized that "an investigation is ongoing to determine his intent and purpose at the stadium."
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.