An Occupy SF protester from Southern California was busted Tuesday for possession of a concealed gun – right after whining to a fellow protester that he didn’t want to go back to prison, police said Wednesday.
A concerned protester alerted police to the gun-toting Occupy SF camper around 1:30 p.m., San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Daryl Fong said.
The protester said he overheard the suspect telling another camper in Justin Herman Plaza that he wanted to avoid prison. The suspect then took off his jacket, presumably to show that he had a handgun inside a holster attached to his belt, Fong said.
Police called for backup and they detained Jonathan Waknine, 23, of Valley Village, a town near Los Angeles, at the northern side of the plaza. An unloaded semiautomatic handgun was seized without incident. Waknine was cited and released and his gun was booked as evidence, police said.
Waknine does have a criminal history, police said. The day before Halloween, he was busted by Los Angeles Police Department on drug charges.
He had apparently arrived at the camp Monday night, police said.
