A man toting two unloaded M16 assault rifles made it onto the field of Michigan Stadium during the Michigan-Michigan State game in Ann Arbor on Oct. 9. The Detroit Free Press reports that the 42-year-old full-time National Guardsman - who couldn't get a ticket to the big rivalry at the Big House - arrived at the game in a military vehicle and dressed in his full uniform. He explained to the staff and police that he was a member of the honor guard and was running late, according to Diane Brown, spokesperson for the University of Michigan's department of public safety. The gambit worked until a real member of the honor guard informed police of the imposter.
Brown told reporters it was "very unfortunate" that a member of the military would abuse his uniform to gain unauthorized access. Exemptions to the stadium's weapons-free policy allow members of military honor guards to carry unloaded weapons. "The weapons, we know, posed no danger to the community," Brown said, adding that security officials are reviewing protocols and procedures. According to estimates, more than 113,000 people were in the stadium that day.
The man, who has not been identified, was arrested and released. He has not been charged, but the Washtenaw County prosecutor and the National Guard are looking into pressing charges. "I think in most soldiers' minds, better judgment would win," Capt. Corissa Barton, state public affairs officer for the Michigan National Guard, told the Free Press.
