On the early morning of Friday, a routine response to a vehicular collision in Boston's Roslindale neighborhood escalated into an arrest when officers discovered a fully automatic firearm. According to a report by the Boston Police Department, the incident occurred around 4:46 AM after officers were dispatched to the intersection of Polar Street and Dale Street over a verbal altercation.
The scene was quickly assessed by officers from District E-5 (Roslindale/West Roxbury) and District E-18 (Hyde Park) who ascertained that the operators involved in the accident were unharmed. During the commotion, one of the individuals, identified as 21-year-old Richard Bereus of Taunton, was observed trying to walk away while screaming. He was subsequently detained and advised that his vehicle would need to be towed, which led to the subsequent discovery.
A search of Bereus's vehicle unearthed a Glock 19 modified with a Sear Switch, making the weapon fully automatic. More disturbingly, the firearm possessed an obliterated serial number, and was loaded with a magazine capable of holding seventeen rounds. The discovery of these illegal modifications and the state of the weapon's serial number raised serious concerns about the intent and origin of the gun.
Bereus was arrested and slapped with multiple charges including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, Unlawful Possession of a Large Capacity Feeding Device, and Receiving a Firearm with a Defaced Serial Number. Following the recovery of the firearm, with his arraignment is set to take place at the West Roxbury District Court, Bereus finds himself in a precarious legal situation.
The Boston Police Department has not released additional details regarding the motivation behind Bereus's possession of the illegal firearm or the events leading up to the accident and subsequent altercation. The case, however, highlights the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces in addressing gun violence and illegal firearms trafficking.
