A 66-year-old Arizona man accused of holding at gunpoint a National Guard convoy delivering COVID-19 vaccines to Matador isnow facing a federal charge.
Larry Lee Harris of Willcox, Arizona, was charged via criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. He will be set for an initial appearance in federal court at a later date, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the complaint, Mr. Harris allegedly pointed a firearm at a three-van Army National Guard convoy engaged in official duties related to the COVID-19 national emergency.
National Guard personnel reported to police that Mr. Harris, driving a white Chevrolet pickup, began following the officers down the I-27 in Lubbock, then pulled alongside them and brandished a weapon. All three vehicles pulled over.
Mr. Harris, identifying himself as a detective, allegedly approached the National Guard vehicles with his firearm drawn. Ranting about a missing 41-year-old-woman and a 12-year-old girl, he demanded to search the vans. National Guard personnel complied. Mr. Harris searched the vans and then began to drive away.
As the National Guard convoy started to depart, Mr. Harris allegedly made an erratic U-turn and once again forced the vans to stop. He then demanded to search an engine compartment.
The National Guard called 911. The Idalou Police Department arrived on scene and took Mr. Harris into custody without incident. Inside his waistband, they found a Colt .45 semiautomatic pistol, loaded with a full magazine.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Harris is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on the federal charge.
He is also facing state charges of aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, impersonating a public servant, unlawfully carrying a weapon, and interfering with military forces.
Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office, the Idalou Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the complete cooperation of the Texas National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Haag and Callie Woolam are prosecuting the case.
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