Police in suburban San Antonio said they took into custody Tony Albert, an armed man wearing police tactical-style clothing, who said he was on his way to a church to fulfill “a prophecy.” (Harris County Court Records)
Police in suburban San Antonio arrested an armed man wearing tactical-style clothing who said he was on his way to a church to fulfill “a prophecy," authorities said Sunday.
Seguin police said a passerby who saw the man carrying a handgun notified authorities. An off-duty Seguin officer responded to the call and found 33-year-old Tony Albert carrying extra ammunition and a face shield in addition to the firearm.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that Albert was taken to the Guadalupe County Jail, where he was booked on a drug charge and also a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
The paper reported that Albert has been arrested at least six times on various charges dating back to 2009, when he was 24.
He was convicted for driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana under two ounces, assault of a family member causing bodily injury and disarming a police officer.
The Express-News also reported that Albert is affiliated with Messianic Judaism, a modern religious movement that combines Christianity with elements of Judaism, and the First Church of Cannabis, a religious organization that claims marijuana is a healing plant.
“This affiliation is generally a very private and secretive one as the desire of we affiliates is to separate ourselves from recreational cannabis users who continue to pervert the usage of our sacrament (cannabis),” Albert wrote earlier this year in a court filing.
Albert is currently on two years probation as part of a plea agreement with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
