Arlington, Va. – On December 7, Kaleel Malcolm Nagbe, a man with a prior firearm conviction, was arrested outside the Pentagon after a traffic stop. Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers initially pulled over Nagbe’s black Mercedes for using a cell phone while driving, a violation of Virginia law. Upon arriving at the scene, officers detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.
According to Nagbe’s arrest affidavit, he grew “nervous and fidgety” when questioned. When the officers attempted to speak with him, Nagbe returned to his car and allegedly tried to flee while officers clung to the vehicle. It took three officers to apprehend him after a brief struggle. One officer sustained a hand injury and was treated at a nearby hospital.
During a search, authorities found a loaded Glock 26 concealed in Nagbe’s underwear, along with a Glock switch, an attachment used to convert a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic one. The gun contained a full 16-round magazine and one additional round in the chamber.
Nagbe gave inconsistent accounts of how the gun came to be in his possession, initially claiming to have removed it from the glove box to “avoid any issues” and later stating it was taken from the car’s center console to prevent trouble for his father. Investigators found the Mercedes was registered under Nagbe’s father’s business, KMN Real Estate, based in Maryland.
Further investigation uncovered over 14 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of the car, stored in white trash bags and a black Nike backpack.
Nagbe’s criminal record showed a previous conviction for firearm possession in Montgomery County, Maryland, in April 2023. He had been sentenced to five years in prison, with all but 367 days suspended, and five years of probation.
Nagbe was initially released on a personal recognizance bond by a magistrate judge, but the federal government filed a motion to revoke the bond, citing Nagbe as a flight risk and a danger to the community. The judge agreed, and Nagbe remains in custody.
He is scheduled for a court appearance on Wednesday afternoon in Alexandria, Virginia.
