Widely Reported Incident Is No Threat to Duke, Duchess : Arrest of ‘Armed’ Man Stirs Royal Fuss

It sounded as if quick police work had saved the day for the Duke and Duchess of York on Sunday morning.

As news services first reported it, a man with a rifle was spotted by advance security officers as the motorcade of England’s Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, was headed for a church in Long Beach, and he was whisked away by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department’s elite Metro Division.

But for John Michael Kasser, 30, of Long Beach, it was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Task for the Media

The story began mushrooming Sunday afternoon as reporters tried to determine whether the detained man was, in fact, a threat to the royal couple.

Urgent bulletins were sent out over the news services, one reporting that the man was carrying a replica of an M-16 rifle, another noting a local television crew had caught the arrest on tape for the evening news.

The LAPD declined comment on the arrest, referring calls on the sensitive security issue to the State Department. The State Department then deferred to the British press office at its temporary headquarters at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

British press officers, too, declined comment, issuing a brief statement attributable to Francis Cornish, press counsellor, British Embassy in Washington.

“Our understanding is that en route from the royal yacht to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach, one of the lead cars well ahead of the motorcade saw a man with a gun,” it read in part. “The man was stopped and arrested. To the best of our knowledge, that was the end of the incident.”

Royals Not Affected

The duke and duchess, who are in Los Angeles for 10 days in connection with a British arts festival, did not learn of the incident until they were safely back aboard the royal yacht, Brittania, one British official assured.

“Next thing I know, I’m getting at least 15 or 20 calls from London about an assault rifle,” said Lt. Rod Mickelson, station commander of the Long Beach Police Department. “It was a .22. And I don’t think the poor sucker who got arrested knew anything about the royal couple.”

Mickelson said the arrest took place on Ocean Boulevard, half a block from the police station. Kasser, a Long Beach contractor, had just picked up his .22 rifle from the station and carried it out in a paper bag.

Mickelson explained that the department has a policy of confiscating weapons for a few days when they are found in homes during domestic quarrels or disturbances. Kasser’s gun was confiscated during a disturbance Feb. 22, he said.

It’s in the Bag

“So, this poor guy comes down to pick up his gun,” Mickelson said, “And as he’s going back to his car with the gun in a paper bag, they (LAPD officers) see this guy and grab him and haul him away, because he’s on the motorcade route. We finally verified his story as accurate, and he was released.

“That’s all. Believe me. That’s all.”

Kasser could not be located for comment.

On Sunday night, the royal couple and 800 guests turned out at the Biltmore downtown for a gala dinner in conjunction with the UK/LA arts festival.