A man armed with a gun and a knife was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly pretended to be a member of law enforcement outside State Farm Stadium near Phoenix a day before Charlie Kirk’s planned memorial service at that venue.
On Saturday, the Arizona department of public safety said that 42-year-old Joshua Runkles was charged with carrying a weapon into a prohibited place and impersonating a police officer.
“An investigation is ongoing to determine his intent and purpose at the stadium. Runkles has since been released on bond,” Arizona DPS said, ABC reports.
A spokesperson for Turning Point USA, which Kirk founded, later told Fox News that Runkles had been doing “advance security for a known guest” but that it wasn’t properly coordinated with Turning Point or the US Secret Service, which is securing the event because Donald Trump and JD Vance are among the scheduled speakers. “We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious,” the spokesperson reportedly said.
Earlier on Saturday, the US Secret Service said that it was coordinating with local law enforcement in Glendale, Arizona, to investigate “an individual who was observed exhibiting suspicious behavior at State Farm Stadium”.
“The individual was approached by Secret Service and stated during the encounter that he was a member of law enforcement and that he was armed. The individual is not a member of authorized law enforcement working the event and is currently in custody,” the Secret Service said.
Runkles was armed with at least one gun and one knife when he was stopped, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the Washington Post. The official added that Runkles had presented “inactive law enforcement credentials” and informed the Secret Service that he was there to provide private security.
Sunday’s memorial service for Kirk is expected to draw up to 100,000 attendees to Glendale, where Turning Point USA is based. High-profile White House cabinet members including secretary of state Marco Rubio and defense secretary Pete Hegseth are also scheduled to speak.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, is also scheduled to speak at the service. Following Kirk’s death, his wife was named the new leader of TPUSA.
The Department of Homeland Security has designated the event a special event assessment rating (Sear) level 1 event, according to multiple reports. Sear level 1 connotes “significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support”.
According to the event’s website, attendees are to expect TSA-level screening, and guests arriving with bags, even clear ones, will not be permitted entry.
Kirk, 31, was shot to death on 10 September while he was speaking at a college event at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson, 22, has since been charged with aggravated murder in Kirk’s killing. Utah state prosecutors say they intend to pursue the death penalty against Robinson if he is convicted.
Prosecutors have said that they suspect Robinson killed Kirk because he personally had become sick of what he perceived to be Kirk’s “hatred”. But, citing three sources familiar with the investigation into Kirk’s killing, NBC reported Saturday that federal authorities have not found any link between Robinson and leftwing groups, on which the Trump administration has threatened to crack down after the deadly shooting.
