Police: Assault-style rifles seized near Lee monument

RICHMOND, Va. – Police arrested a man and seized three assault-style rifles and one handgun after a late-night confrontation near the city’s statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, authorities said Friday.

Drivers in several pickup trucks and individuals on bikes exchanged words early Friday near the Lee statue before one of the trucks ran over a bicycle while fleeing the area, police said in a news release.

Officers made three traffic stops after the incident and found multiple assault-style rifles, handguns and body armour. Some of the guns were seized and one individual was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police did not immediately release the person’s name.

The Lee statue is one of the country’s most iconic monuments to the Confederacy. Gov. Ralph Northam ordered last week that it be taken down amid widespread civil unrest over the treatment of black men by police. A local judge has temporarily blocked its removal.