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Man In Capitol Standoff Wanted To Bring Attention To Conspiracy

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A man who blocked a street by the California Capitol is speaking out about what he calls a "spontaneous decision," and the conspiracy he believes is stacked against him because of his religious beliefs.

Edgar Napoles-Rodriguez, 27, was arrested on Monday after a two-hour-long standoff on L Street. Police found a device made to look like an explosive but was found to be fake.

RELATED: Why Wasn't California Capitol Evacuated During Standoff?

He faces charges of felony possession of the fake device, and a misdemeanor of obstructing and resisting police officers.

He admits his story is strange, saying he spent the night in front of the state Capitol on Sunday, then hours later decided to get in his car and refuse to move.

Napoles-Rodriguez shared his goal with CBS13.

"To get justice," he said.

That justice is for what he calls a bad investment. He says he wanted to expose a conspiracy against him to take his money and punish him for his religious views.

"It's a very, very strange situation," he said. "It's a very unique situation."

It's one that led to a potentially dangerous situation. After all, police thought a bomb may have been in his car. There was a hose attached to the trunk leading to the gas tank. He called it a harmless way to get attention.

"I don't try to hurt no one," he said. "That's not my intention. I never--I never had a bomb in my car -- I never had a device that looks like a bomb," he said.

He says he tried going to law enforcement to tell his story, but nobody would listen.

"They just laugh," he said. "There's nothing they can do -- they kicked me out of the building."

No one was laughing on Monday afternoon as he sat in his older Mazda with messages written on it saying "I am not a terrorist," "Cops or Criminals" and "I just want justice."

What police wanted, they got as negotiators talked him out of his car, convincing him they'd look into his story.

"This guy say hey, we're gonna--we're gonna look in the stuff that you're saying -- we're gonna look at this person -- we're gonna see what you're talking about --we want to get you help," he said. "whatever it takes--to have my freedom back and to have justice -- I do whatever it takes."

He's scheduled to face a judge on Wednesday.

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