A New Hampshire man found allegedly armed and wearing body armor near a Boston Medical Center helicopter pad on Saturday told police he was “just enjoying my civil liberties” before struggling with officers, according to an incident report.
Brad Clarke, 41, of Pelham, N.H., had parked his Toyota Tacoma near the helipad gate and was standing with his back to a wall holding binoculars when a Boston University special officer approached him around 3:50 p.m., authorities said.
According to the report, the officer asked Clarke, “How is it going? Can I help you?” and Clarke responded, “Just enjoying my civil liberties.”
Soon after, more officers arrived and Clarke repeated that he was enjoying his civil liberties, as the officers saw a bulge under his jacket that resembled the outline of a ballistics vest, according to the report.
The officers saw a second ballistics vest in Clarke’s vehicle and told him they would conduct a pat-frisk for safety purposes. He said “you don’t wanna do that,” the report said.
He was placed in handcuffs after a brief struggle, and officers seized a loaded handgun and ammunition from his coat pocket, as well as the vest that he wore, a second vest inside his vehicle, and another handgun in the Tacoma, according to the report.
Officers seized additional items from the vehicle including goggles, nunchucks, a water filtration system, and smart phone-controlled drone, as well as three plastic bags of marijuana, the report said.
Boston police took Clarke into custody and charged him with several offenses including trespassing; unlawful possession of a firearm, second offense; carrying a firearm on university grounds; and possession with intent to distribute class D drugs, records show.
Clarke remained in custody Monday and is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court, officials said.
He tried unsuccessfully to purchase a rifle in Pelham, N.H., last week, the report said.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.