A second juvenile has been cuffed in South Boston following what cops say was the discovery of a loaded firearm stashed behind a beam. The bust comes on the heels of an earlier collar yesterday that saw a 15-year-old lad booked on similar weapons charges.
Boston Police Department reports that officers assigned to District C-6 responded around 4 p.m. to 1 Ellery Street following a tip about a tossed gun. This was mere hours after the police had engaged in a foot chase with two males, one of whom was a juvenile now faces multiple firearms-related charges. Lost during the pursuit of a second suspect, officers later regained their bearings and stopped him based on evidence from video surveillance footage.
A Taurus firearm—ready for action with a round in the chamber and eight more in the magazine—was reportedly found where the second suspect had tried to hide it. After law enforcement officers visited his home, the 17-year-old suspect was detained and slapped with charges including unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a large capacity feeding device, and resisting arrest.
Earlier that day, in an unrelated incident, a patrol cop on Dorchester Avenue flagged down two boys resembling descriptions from recent armed robberies. The duo bolted upon spotting the officer, which led to a chase ending inside Andrew Square T Station with one firearm discarded and one teen nabbed. "The recovered firearm was later determined to be a Smith and Wesson M&P with one round in the chamber and eight rounds in the magazine," according to the police statement. Stopped in the sweep was a second juvenile, who was subsequently released without charges on the scene.
The arraignment for both of the apprehended adolescents is expected to take place at Boston Juvenile Court. The incidents underscore a troubling trend of youth entanglement with firearms in urban settings, straining community and law enforcement relations alike.
