An American University student was arrested on March 26 by the Metropolitan Police Department for carrying a firearm without a license near Katzen Arts Center.
Cain Reese, a junior in the School of International Service, was pulled over on Nebraska Ave NW when an officer noticed a pistol between the driver’s seat and the door. MPD officers secured the weapon without incident, according to a police affidavit filed in the D.C. Superior Court.
The firearm is registered in Virginia, where Reese has a concealed carry permit, but D.C. Code requires firearms and ammunition to be registered in the District, police said in the affidavit.
MPD also ticketed Reese for expired tags on his car, which is why he was initially pulled over. The arresting officers were MPD officers assigned to the Trump administration’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which aims to improve the city’s safety by reducing crime.
The D.C. Superior Court held a presentment hearing on March 27 and a felony status conference is scheduled for April 29. Reese was released after the presentment hearing, D.C. Courts’ Director of Media and Public Relations Doug Buchanan told The Eagle. Reese’s attorney Jason Kalafat did not respond to The Eagle’s request for a comment.
Matt Bennett, the University’s vice president and chief communications officer, said the AU Police Department was made aware of the arrest but did not participate in any way.
“The safety of the campus community is AU’s top priority, and at no time did this matter create a threat to the University,” Bennett said.
Reese previously worked at Green Top Shooting Range and was an infantry squad leader in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2018 to 2022, according to his Linkedin. Before coming to the University, Reese studied at Germanna Community College and received his associate of arts and sciences.
This article was edited by Owen Auston-Babcock, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Paige Caron and Mattie Lupo. Fact-checking done by Andrew Kummeth and Luca Palma Poth.
