( NYPost )
A deranged Florida man is facing up to a year in federal prison after trying to barge into a US Air Force base while carrying an AR-15 rifle and claiming he was Captain America, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Baruch Roche, 33, was indicted on one count of attempted possession of a firearm in a federal facility for the Nov. 3 stunt at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a news release.
Roche, of Tampa, drove up to the gate at the base in a green Hyundai Genesis shortly after 2 p.m. and demanded entry, saying he had a meeting with Air Force brass “to provide top secret information.”
But the crazed man refused to provide ID and “instead identified himself as ‘Captain America,'” according to the indictment.
He allegedly claimed he was an “active member” of the United States Operations Command, or SOCOM, and had a scheduled meeting with a general in the group, the indictment said.
“Roche became argumentative and threatened to come back every day to look for the officers denying him entry,” prosecutors said in the press release. “Due to his suspicious behavior, Roche was detained and security personnel searched his vehicle.
“An AR-15 rife was located in the trunk as well as five magazines loaded with 125 rounds of ammunition.”
Tampa cops, along with the department’s Behavior Health Unit, responded to the base and questioned Roche, who told the officers “that he has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and takes ADHD medication,” the indictment said.
Roche was involuntarily hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, which authorizes forced treatment for individuals going through a mental health crisis.
The MacDill base has more than 12,000 active-duty personnel and is home to more than two dozen military units, including from the US Central Command, US Special Operations Command and the 927th Air Refueling Wing, according to its home page.
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