A woman was arrested Saturday morning at an inauguration checkpoint for posing as a law enforcement officer and on the run from police, officials say.
Linda Magovern, 63, was arrested near Union Station after saying she was an officer and “part of the presidential cabinet,” and handed over a military police challenge coin, a DC police report says.
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Magovern approached the inauguration perimeter at Columbus Circle and First Street NE in a vehicle at approximately 8:45 AM, police said.
She “showed a round metal object that was later identified as a Military Police Challenge Coin,” the police report says. The medallions are used by law enforcement officers and members of the military to recognize achievements.
Police say Magovern then said she was an officer and a member of the presidential cabinet.
An officer ordered Magovern to park the vehicle and turn it off. She obeyed, but drove forward after an officer asked for her license.
Officers repeatedly ordered Magovern to stop the vehicle, but she was driving north on Columbus Circle, police said. She was stopped nearby, outside Union Station.
Magovern was arrested and charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer, disobeying and fleeing from a law enforcement officer. It was not immediately clear whether she had a lawyer.
She was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Security in DC is high in the run-up to Wednesday’s inauguration day, with over 15,000 current National Guard members in DC as of Sunday morning, NBC News reports.
A Virginia man was arrested Friday at an inauguration checkpoint after showing police an “ungoverned” inauguration certificate and officers found a gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his pickup truck. He said he was lost and forgot he had the gun with him.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this evolving story.