Man with AR-15 wandering Montco neighborhoods in custody

The man, who police did not identify, is undergoing an involuntary mental health exam.

A man who was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle, such as this one, around several neighborhoods in Montgomery County was arrested by Abington police Thursday. Police say they were alerted by family of the unidentified man that he night pose a danger to himself or others. (ActionSports/Bigstock)

A man who was carrying an AR-15 assault rifle, such as this one, around several neighborhoods in Montgomery County was arrested by Abington police Thursday. Police say they were alerted by family of the unidentified man that he night pose a danger to himself or others. (ActionSports/Bigstock)

A man who caused alarm while walking around several suburban Philadelphia neighborhoods with an AR-15 rifle slung behind his back has been taken into custody and is undergoing a mental health evaluation.

Abington police said they got several calls Monday about a man walking through various neighborhoods with the assault weapon.

Chief Patrick Molloy told residents in a letter that while the man’s intentions were unknown, they believed he was trying to draw officers into a debate over his Second Amendment right to carry the weapon in public.

On Friday, Molloy said, friends of the man reached out to police with concerns that he could pose a threat to himself or others. That new information led police to take him into custody on Thursday.

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The man, who police did not identify, is undergoing an involuntary mental health exam.

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