A Waikiki man who led police on a car chase that ended with officials confiscating a loaded unregistered assault rifle stashed in the vehicle’s trunk pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court.

Christopher Chan, 30, was indicted Thursday on a single count of possession of an unregistered firearm, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 17 before U.S. District Court Judge Derrick K. Watson.

Chan’s attorney, Walter J. Rodby, declined comment. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Olson and Sara Ayabe, who are prosecuting the case for the government, did not immediately reply to Honolulu Star-Advertiser requests for comment.

In mid-August the general manager of a Waikiki condominium told Honolulu police officers that Chan, a resident in the building, “had been the source of several complaints” from other residents about “unusual behavior.” Residents said Chan made statements about “people tracking him” and that “neighbors were attacking him with radio frequency waves,” according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

Also, the manager told police there were reports of Chan trying to kick down neighbors’ doors, and that the neighbors had not filed police reports because they were afraid of him.

Additionally, the manager said when he spoke with Chan in July, Chan said he was investigating a satanic cult being run inside the building and that he was being targeted as a human sacrifice. Chan said he didn’t report the matter because he maintained that the Honolulu Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in the conspiracy.

On Aug. 12 a maintenance worker at condo building reported that while servicing the air conditioner in Chan’s unit, he saw “assault style firearms within the unit.” In another encounter, Chan allegedly told the maintenance staff member to defend himself “by any means” during the “coming apocalypse,” according to court documents.

HPD officers conducting a welfare check of Chan on Aug. 16 spotted him driving out of the building’s parking structure and directed him to stop. Chan then sped off, hitting an HPD vehicle and other cars before HPD Crime Reduction Unit officers assigned to Waikiki apprehended him. Chan was then transported to The Queen’s Medical Center for an evaluation of his mental health.

Officers found an AR-type rifle loaded with ammunition in the trunk of the car Chan was driving. Special agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives found that the “rifle did not contain a serial number or appropriate manufacturer markings” and was not registered.

“The investigation in this case has revealed that defendant may have mental health conditions,” wrote Olson in a motion to have Chan evaluated by the Bureau of Prisons at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, filed with the court in mid-September. “The government believes that there exists reasonable cause to believe that defendant may presently be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense.”

Chan’s attorney opposed the government’s attempts to subject Chan to a mental health evaluation.

Chan “appears mentally fit” and “understands the charge lodged against him, he understands the role of all relevant parties in this matter, and he understands his option of pleading guilty or not guilty to said charge,” Rodby wrote in a motion opposing the government’s request. “At this point in time, defendant will not be arguing that he is not guilty by way of lack of penal responsibility,” Rodby wrote.

On Oct. 18, U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom A. Trader denied the government’s motion. Chan remains in custody until his trial.