BATON ROUGE – Police say a man seen walking near a school with an AR-15 slung across his chest was arrested Monday.

Around 5 p.m. Monday, Baton Rouge Police officers were dispatched to S. 19^th Street after numerous complaints that a man was walking the area with an AR-15 rifle.

Police found 25-year-old Carl Willis walking on S. 17^th Street and took him into custody.

According to arrest records, Willis said that “his rights” allowed him to carry the weapon. The BRPD officer noted that Willis was “very uncooperative” during the investigation.

Willis told police that he was walking from Florida Street to his home on S. 17^th Street. Police say that route placed him about 500 feet from the Dufrocq Elementary School on the 300 block of S. 19^th Street.

The arrest document says that route gave Willis two unobstructed views of the school. The AR-15 was found loaded with a full magazine with one round chambered.

Police said Willis was “very unclear” and did not answer why he chose to carry the rifle. He was transported to the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and charged with one count of carrying a firearm on school property.