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Deputies in Los Angeles have arrested a 36-year-old Arizona man they say was running through traffic near the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California — while carrying a loaded rifle painted to look like a toy inspired by The Joker character from “Batman” and wearing a heavy-duty ballistic vest.
Witnesses reported seeing the man, identified as Sean Steiner of Glendale, Arizona, hiking in the area with a duffel bag, a step stool and a rifle, before he allegedly ran into traffic on Palos Verdes Drive South around 5 p.m. on March 29.
Deputies arrived to find the rifle painted green and purple and emblazoned with the words “HA HA HA HA” and the line made famous by the late Heath Ledger, “Why so serious?”
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The tip had also been painted orange, “resembling a toy gun,” according to authorities.
“Not only was the rifle loaded with a round in the chamber and a full magazine inserted… he admitted he had just fired one of the pistols near the landslide area to ‘get some anger out,'” according to a statement from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Lomita Station.
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Steiner’s vest was capable of stopping rifle rounds, according to authorities.
They also said they found two loaded handguns, high-capacity magazines and extra ammo.
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“Let that sink in,” authorities wrote. “An armed individual, firing a weapon, walking through traffic and trails… in a populated area.”
The sheriff’s department credited witnesses who called in the sighting before anyone was hurt and reminded the public of the phrase, “if you see something, say something.”
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Steiner faces multiple felony firearm charges, authorities said. Jail records show he was booked on March 29 and released on bond on April 1.
A search of Steiner’s name and date of birth in Arizona court records showed only a 2021 speeding ticket for which he was ordered to take a defense driving class.
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Public records show he also lived in Wisconsin previously, where a man with his same name and date of birth was found guilty of a misdemeanor drunken driving charge in 2008.
Steiner could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday morning.
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