MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A high-ranking member of a white supremacist group was arrested in Memphis the U.S Department of Justice announced on Thursday.
According to reports, the Memphis Police were called to a home on a domestic violence complaint back in April.
When they arrived a woman told them her boyfriend, 52-year-old Joseph Shields was armed with a gun.
Shields reportedly refused to let the victim leave the apartment, placed the end of a rifle to her forehead and threatened to pull the trigger.
The victim then told officers the suspect was still in the apartment.
When they tried to get Shields to come out of the apartment, he refused, giving officers no choice but to enter with guns drawn.
They found a loaded 12-guage shotgun, two rifles, and several rounds of ammunition.
Shields, however, was nowhere to be found.
Witnesses at a nearby ice cream stand saw the suspect fleeing from the apartment complex and pointed officers in the right direction.
After a brief struggle, Shields was taken into custody.
Shields reportedly confessed to law enforcement he was the captain within the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a spin-off group of the Aryan Brotherhood.
According to the DOJ, the Brotherhood was responsible for multiple murders, robberies, aggravated assaults and drug trafficking.
In addition, to finding the guns in plain view, Memphis Police also found a large black gun safe in Shield’s apartment with an undisclosed number of firearms.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
