Armed man in Trump hat arrested outside North Carolina polling site

Police said armed Trump supporter had been banned from site for 'possibly intimidating other voters'

An armed man in North Carolina was arrested on Tuesday after returning to a polling site he was banned from earlier in the day.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department said 36-year-old Justin Dunn voted at Precinct 202 on Tuesday morning, then "continued to loiter" near the voting site, prompting a call to police over fears of him "possibly intimidating other voters."

Mr Dunn, who was wearing a Donald Trump hat and carrying an unconcealed firearm, was asked to leave by a supervisor at the polling place and was banned from returning. He left voluntarily, but later returned and was arrested and taken into custody. He was charged with second-degree trespassing.

"The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is committed to protecting the right of our community members to engage in safe, secure and unimpeded access to voting sites," authorities said in a statement.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Mr Dunn said his gun was loaded but did not have a bullet in the firing chamber. Mr Dunn told an Observer reporter that he felt "harassed" by people at the polling station who insisted he wear a face mask while voting. He claimed, "I was harassed because people wanted to abuse their powers, and I don't think that's good. So I just want to make a stance here to say, 'I will not be intimidated.'"

The incident of alleged voter intimidation comes after the North Carolina Board of Elections voted Tuesday to keep four polling places open longer because they opened late, which is expected to delay statewide reporting of results.