Concern rises after border-vigilante standoff [View all]

[Robb]

PHOENIX -- The arrest of a border vigilante accused of pointing a gun at a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy during a confrontation in a desert smuggling zone shows that the "minuteman"-militia-style movement is still active in Arizona and a growing threat to public safety, law enforcement officials say.

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Deputy Pat Arend, who reported staring down the barrel of Malley's AR-15, said it is a small miracle that neither he nor Malley was shot in the brief encounter.

Arend said he initially assumed that Malley, dressed in tactical gear, was another law-enforcement officer working in the area when they encountered each other after 9:30p.m. outside Gila Bend.

"The reason there wasn't a shooting is because, to me, he was passing himself (off as) law enforcement, so the last thing I'm going to do is shoot a cop," Arend said.

"If I would have pulled my gun, and he's thinking I'm a drug smuggler, he's going to shoot. I asked the guy later, 'What would you have done if I had my gun out?' And there was dead silence."

Read More: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/21/concern-rises-after-border-vigilante-standoff/2680247/