Police detain armed man near Super Bowl events

PHOENIX — Phoenix police have sent a man for mental evaluation after he was detained while acting suspiciously near pre-Super Bowl events held in the city center and was found to be in possession of two guns and a knife, authorities said on Wednesday.

The man, who was not identified, was wearing a tan vest, black clothing, sunglasses, a surgical mask and a black backpack, and was wheeling a large suitcase when he was spotted on Tuesday by a parking attendant who alerted police.

An officer later saw the suspect driving a blue minivan and stopped him. The man was speaking incoherently, appeared to be lost, and said he had suffered from a mental illness, said Phoenix Police Department spokesman Sergeant Trent Crump.

The man told police he had guns in the vehicle, and officers recovered a 12-gauge shotgun, a handgun, and a military-type fixed blade knife, Crump said in a statement.

“Based upon the actions of the subject and comments made during questioning, officers detained him and transported him for a mental health evaluation,” Crump said, adding that his name would not be released because he had not been arrested.

Super Bowl security officials acknowledge Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots represents a high profile target, but say they are unaware of any specific, credible threats.

Crump hailed the parking attendant who quickly brought the suspicious man to the attention of the authorities.

“This is an outstanding example of a worker in the area watching out for the unusual and saying something to authorities,” he said. “If you See Something, Say Something.”

In advance of one of the world’s biggest single day sporting events, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was in Glendale on Wednesday to review security preparations and tour University of Phoenix Stadium where the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will battle.

Deadly shootings in Paris and arrest of suspects in Belgium, Greece and Germany heightened fears of more attacks around the world and social media accounts linked to Middle East militant groups have carried a number of threats to attack high-profile U.S. events.

“There is no specific credible threat,” said Johnson, who has appointed a “federal coordination team” to work with local, state and federal agencies to ensure safety of fans, players and other workers associated with the Super Bowl. “I’m confident we will have a safe and secure and successful event.”

Sunday’s game has been given a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 rating, the same as in previous years, except for the year after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when a higher level was declared.

But security will be tight and visible around Super Bowl-related events as well as during the game itself. All fans will pass through metal detectors and pat downs.

Over 4,000 private security personnel will be deployed and the almost 3,000 member Phoenix police force will be on Super Bowl duty.

Nuclear device sniffing teams will be deployed and a network of Bio-Watch detectors will be set up to provide a warning in the event of a biological attack.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release it had held special cyber-security and anti-sniper training sessions.

A U.S. official said the Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for screening airline passengers, will add screeners and checkpoint lanes at airports.

Federal air marshals, “behavior detection officers” and dog teams will help to secure transportation systems in the area.

“We will be ramping it (security) up on Sunday, there is no doubt about that,” said Federal Coordinator Matthew Allen, the DHS point of contact for planning and support. “I have every confidence the public safety agencies that represented in the planning process are going to have their best and brightest out there this weekend and we will have a very safe Super Bowl.”