JEFFERSON CITY — A St. Louis man was arrested after he attempted to bring a gun into the Missouri State Capitol on Tuesday morning.
Alok K. Rohra, 36, allegedly brought a black duffel bag to the South security checkpoint of the Capitol around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. Rohra told Capitol Police officers he had a gun in the bag to show the governor, according to a probable cause statement.
Officer Marcus Holmes told Rohra he could not bring a gun into the building and asked him to return the bag to his car.
Rohra returned to the security checkpoint at 9:52 a.m. by the request of Sgt. John Fisher. After a background check, officers found that Rohra was a convicted felon.
Officers searched Rohra's vehicle with his consent. They found the black duffle bag, which contained a black assault pistol and 79 rounds of ammunition. Rohra also had a military-style Bowie knife.
Rohra was arrested and taken to the Cole County Jail. He is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. He was previously convicted in 2016 of the unlawful possession of a firearm in St. Louis.
He has known mental issues and "an extensive criminal history," according to the probable cause statement.
According to online court records, Rohra has an arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
