A Marine arrested Tuesday for allegedly bringing a loaded gun onto Capitol grounds is a “hero” who was wounded in combat, said the congressman to whom he is assigned.

Capitol Police arrested Peter James Boby, an active-duty Marine who works for Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), after authorities found a loaded .45-caliber handgun in his vehicle during a routine security screening, a police spokeswoman confirmed.

{mosads}Boby is a gunnery sergeant who is assigned to Hunter as a congressional defense fellow, according to the Marine Corps. The congressman called him a “top-notch performer.”

Hunter called the incident an accident and suggested his fellow lawmakers were never in danger.

“He’s a hero who’s seen combat, who’s been wounded and who’s been in good standing with the Marine Corps throughout,” Hunter said in a statement to The Hill. “We are still getting the facts, but this was most likely an accident. There is no reason to suggest it was intentional.”

Boby, a member of the Marine Corps special operations command, served in Afghanistan, where he was wounded by an IED, as well as Iraq, according to Hunter’s office.

He was arrested outside the Cannon House Office Building around 2 p.m. He is charged with carrying a pistol without a license, carrying an unregistered firearm and carrying unregistered ammunition.

—Last updated at 7:23 p.m.