Brain Scientist Allegedly Points AR-15 At Women In Airport, Says He Was Exercising His Second Amendment Rights

An Arizona man pointed an AR-15 rifle at a mother and her teenage daughter inside one of the busiest terminals at Sky Harbor International Airport on Friday, according to police. Peter Nathan Steinmetz, 54, a brain scientist with Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, said he was exercising his Second Amendment rights.

 According to its website, Steinmetz is director of the neural engineering program at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Court documents state that Steinmetz was seen on Level 3 ordering coffee at a Starbucks while carrying in plain view a rifle over his right shoulder.

“It certainly was concerning to other passengers at the airport, not knowing why this individual was walking around with an assault rifle slung over his arm,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos said.

However, Martos noted that guns are not restricted in that area of the airport. Police told the Phoenix New Times that, in general, it’s not illegal to carry a semi-automatic rifle into an airport terminal. In this case, the problem was “the way he was carrying it,” Martos said.

CBS 5 AZ reports, “Steinmetz then walked to the east end of the Level 3 terminal, where he stopped in front of the B gates and then proceeded to an area where people wait for passengers, court paperwork stated.”

Steinmetz “proceeded to remove the Stag Arm AR-15 from his right shoulder, thus causing the muzzle to face two victims sitting to the right,” documents say.

A mother and her 17-year-old daughter told officers “they felt in fear of their safety when the rifle was pointed in their direction.”

Officers approached Steinmetz, and he said he was at Sky Harbor only to buy a cup of coffee.

“I know he probably wasn’t doing it intentionally (pointing the gun at the mother and daughter),” one woman said who heard about the incident. “It’s probably traumatizing to those who were just here.”

According to Martos, Steinmetz has brought a weapon to the airport before.

Officers questioned him just last November when he picked his wife up from Sky Harbor armed with an assault rifle.

Martos said just a few days earlier, a TSA agent was shot to death by a gunman at Los Angeles International Airport.

According to Martos, Steinmetz told officers he was exercising his right to bear arms.

“I know that he does have the right to do that,” said Julie Sanchez. “But I just feel he has other ways, other options, to prove his point.”

CBS 5 AZ reports, “Steinmetz faces two counts of disorderly conduct with a weapon and is out of jail on $5,000 bond.”

Steinmetz has been ordered to surrender his weapons and will be back in court on Thursday.

The medical center where Steinmetz is employed responded:

“We can confirm that Peter Steinmetz is employed as a researcher with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. We are aware of the situation and are taking it very seriously. At present this issue is being handled by Human Resources and our policy is not to comment on HR matters.”

Watch courtesy of KPHO:

CBS 5 – KPHO

One commenter at KPHO writes, “The doctor did not point the weapon at the woman he just move it off his back and there was a crazy lady who wanted attention why the doc had the rifle of course working at barrows which will not stand by him they will fire him they have no guts for there people.” [sic]

Which blatantly disregards the public’s right to feel safe when a weapon is pointing at another person. .

Image: Phoenix News Times. 

By: Anomaly100